I.IAMENTARIAN 



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THE 
PARLIAMENTARIAN 



A MANUAL OF PARLIAMENTARY PRO- 
CEDURE. EXTEMPORANEOUS 
SPEAKING, AND THE 
ART OF DEBATE 



By 

CORA WELLES TROW 



REVISED EDITION 



9l^e Gre^ ^Sfisfirw Company 

New Yoik Bo»ton Chicago San Francisco 






Copyright, 1905, 1913, 1915, 1920 

BY 

CORA WELLES TROW 



APR 20 1920 
©CI.A566603 



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PREFACE. 

It is the desire of all organizations to trans- 
act the business before them in the most cor- 
rect and expeditious manner. It is impossible 
to fulfill this desire without the aid of Parlia- 
mentary Law. When business is transacted 
in an unparliamentary manner, the very action 
the organization desires to take is often ren- 
dered null and void because of the irregularity 
of the procedure. It was formerly contended 
that if a club did what it desired to do, it was 
not necessary that it should be done correctly. 
" A club is a self-governing organization," 
" A body is superior to its constitution; " these 
were some of the expressions commonly used. 
This point has been settled by several legal 
decisions, notably that of Judge Campbell, 
who holds that, clubs are only self-ruling as 
far as their constitutions agree with the gen- 
eral principles of common law. This being 
the case it is necessary for us to acquaint our- 
selves with the laws governing the proceedings 
of clubs and societies, in order that the action 
taken may be in accordance with these laws. 
This manual is intended to furnish a guide to 
the proper procedure to be pursued in the con- 
duct of the meetings of clubs and societies. 
It is founded on those of Thomas Jefferson and 
Henry M. Roberts, and is intended for the use 
of deliberative assemblies only. Tlae seccaxd 



Preface 

part of this book is intended to furnish a few 
simple rules for the preparation and delivery 
of an extemporaneous speech, to which is 
added the proper method for arranging an 
informal debate. 

The disinclination of the present day audi- 
ence to listen to a written speech makes it 
highly desirable for those who seek to hold the 
attention of those they address to be able to 
dispense with notes. 

There is a growing tendency on the part of 
clubs and societies to use the debate as a 
means of arriving at some definite conclusion 
in regard to the subject brought before them 
for study. There is no available guide for the 
conduct of such debates, which, from their 
nature, require a slightly different form of 
procedure from that employed in the legal or 
political debate. They must, in fact, be a 
mingHng of the formal and informal. It is 
hoped that the method outlined in this book 
will be found helpful. Thanks are due to 
Prof. Raymond MacDonald Alden, whose sys- 
tem of argumentation as outlined in his book, 
"The Art of Debate," has been followed in 
this work. 



PART ONE 



Organization and Conduct 
OF Meetings 



NOTE 

The numbers inserted in the text of 
this book refer to the pages on which 
the references may be found. 



PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE. 



I. Mass Meeting. There are three 
kinds of meetings that require the use 
of parliamentary law in order to carry 
out the purposes for which they are in- 
tended. They are the mass or volun- 
tary, the club or regular, and the con- 
vention or occasional. A mass meeting 
is a meeting called to discuss the advis- 
ability of taking some proposed action 
and at this meeting the sense of those 
present is ascertained by the introduction 
of a motion and the taking of a vote. 
The purpose of the meeting may be 
anything that seems to require concerted 
action. A call is issued stating the pur- 
pose of the meeting, the time and place, 
and to this should be affixed three signa- 
tures. There may be an indefinite 
number of signatures affixed to the call 
but there should be at least three. 
When the mass meeting is assembled the 
person who sent out the notices for the 



12 The Parliamentarian 

meeting calls it to order. The proper 
manner in which to call any meeting 
to order is one tap of the gavel followed 
by the words,* " The meeting will 
come to order." The call that has been 
sent out is then read and the first busi- 
ness before the meeting is the election 
of a chairman. Any one present may 
suggest a nomination, which is done by 
the member rising and saying, " Mr. 
Chairman," after which the chairman 
repeats the name of the member and so 
confers the right to introduce what the 
member desires to suggest to the meet- 
ing. If only one name is suggested, it 
is in order that a motion be made and 

seconded that Mr. should act as 

Chairman of the meeting. If several 
names are suggested, the Chairman must 
be selected by the filHng of blanks (63). 
All motions when properly moved and 
seconded, are put to vote as follows, 
" Those in favor say aye. Those op- 
posed say no.'' If the majority have 
voted *' aye " the Chairman announces 

* The exact words used by chairmen are often given 
in this work, but it is not to be inferred that these are 
the only forms permitted. These forms are proper and 
common and are inserted as a guide to those unfamiliar 
with parliamentary usage. 



Parliamentary Procedure 13 

that the vote is carried; if a majority 
have voted ** no," he announces that the 
vote is ** lost." The words " carried " 
or " lost " must be said after each vote. 
The result must be plainly announced. 
In taking a vote the ayes and noes 
must both be called for and the result 
announced, otherwise no vote is taken. 
Uninformed Chairmen when putting a 
vote of thanks often fail to ask for the 
*' noes." In that event no vote is taken 
so no thanks are conveyed. When a 
rising vote of thanks is moved the vote 
should first be taken and then the assem- 
bly should rise and remain standing while 
the Chairman conveys the thanks to 
the one named in the vote. 

After election the Chairman takes the 
chair and says: "The first business 
before you is the election of a Secretary.'* 
Some member is nominated Secretary, 
the motion is seconded and put to vote 
in the same manner as was the vote for 
Chairman. The Secretary should sit 
near the Chairman, and take a record of 
the proceedings. These two officers are 
all that are required by parliamentary 
law in order to conduct a meeting, but 



14 The Parliamentarian 

it is often most expedient to elect more 
if their services are needed. 

The Chairman now asks : "What is the 
further pleasure of the meeting?" If 
the meeting be of a public character, 
such as a political meeting, it is cus- 
tomary at this stage of the proceedings 
for some one to offer a set of resolutions, 
which, when adopted, become the sense 
of the meeting. If the meeting is called 
to protest against a grievance, or propose 
action along some line of municipal 
work, it is in order that some member 
should move that a committee be ap- 
pointed to draft a set of resolutions. 
The Chair states the question, which 
should be as follows: "It is moved and 
seconded that a committee be appointed 
to draft a set of resolutions which shall 
express the purpose of this meeting." 
As soon as this motion is repeated by the 
Chair it becomes the question before the 
house, is open for discussion, and must 
be decided before another main motion 
is in order. If no one rises to discuss 
the motion, or if the motion is dis- 
cussed at length the Chair should ask, 



Parliamentary Procedure 15 

"Are you ready for the question?" It 
is in order, then, for the members to say 
"question," and the motion is immedi- 
ately put to vote. Unless the Chair 
asks, "Are you ready for the question?" 
it is never in order for the members to 
say " question." If the motion in regard 
to the committee is carried, it is in order 
for the Chair to ask to be instructed how 
the committee is to be appointed and of 
how many it shall consist. If these 
points are not included in the original 
motion, another motion is now in order 
to cover these details. If it is the wish 
of the assembly that the Chair shall ap- 
point the committee, he proceeds at once 
to do so; if the house, the names nom- 
inated to serve are put to vote collect- 
ively, thus: "As many as are in favor 
of the gentlemen named constituting the 
committee will say aye. Opposed, no.'' 
If more names are nominated than can 
be elected they must be voted upon 
separately. 

The committee when appointed should 
at once leave the room in order to draw 
up its report, which should be in the form 



i6 The Parliamentarian 

of a set of resolutions. These should 
first state the purpose of the meeting, 
then the action suggested in regard to 
that purpose, and finally the method by 
which it is proposed to carry out the 
action. During the absence of the com- 
mittee the subject is open for discussion, 
and speeches may be made with a view 
to imparting information in regard to 
the purpose of the meeting. Upon the 
return of the committee, the Chairman, 
who is usually the first one named, pre- 
sents the report, saying: "The commit- 
tee appointed to draft resolutions is pre- 
pared to report." If there is no objec- 
tion the report is then read and so re- 
ceived. Any member may object to re- 
ceiving the report of a committee, but he 
must give good and sufficient reasons for 
so doing; it is never in order to vote to 
receive a report after it has been read. 
When the report has been read the chair- 
man of the committee should move that it 
be adopted. It may then be discussed and 
amended before the vote is taken, or a mo- 
tion may be made that the report be con- 
sidered. When such a motion is carried, 



Parliamentary Procedure 17 

the report comes before the assembly 
for consideration, and may be amended 
to suit the views of the assembly who 
will then vote to adopt or accept the re- 
port as amended. As soon as the report 
is read it is the property of the assembly, 
and the committee is disbanded. 

This is the proper method for dealing 
with the report of any special committee. 
(See 91.) When the report has been 
acted upon, the purpose of the meeting 
has been fulfilled, and a motion to ad- 
journ is in order. If the assembly de- 
sire to take further action in regard to 
the m.atter under discussion, it may ad- 
journ to meet at the call of the Chair, or 
at some specified time. 

When an assembly simply adjourns it 
is disbanded and can only reconvene by 
means of the issuance of another call. 

2. Permanent Society. When a mass 
meeting is called for the purpose of or- 
ganizing a permanent society or club, a 
committee is appointed to draw up a 
constitution to be presented at the next 
meeting. The difference between a, 



i8 The Parliamentarian 

permanent and voluntary organization 
consists in the fact that the first meets 
only in response to a call and the second 
meets under the requirements of a con- 
stitution. At a meeting called to organ- 
ize a permanent society, the first motion 
in-order after the election of the chair- 
man and the secretary is : " I move that we 
shall proceed to take action to organize a 
club for (here state purpose). After this 
motion has been seconded and passed by 
the house, the appointment of a com- 
mittee to draft a constitution is the next 
business in order. This committee should 
be instructed to report at the next 
meeting. The motion to adjourn should 
state the time and place of the next 
meeting. 

The second meeting of a permanent 
society should consider the report of 
its committee which drafted the con- 
stitution. After this has been adopted 
the meeting proceeds to elect permanent 
officers under its requirements. Parlia- 
mentary law requires a chairman or 
president and a secretary; it permits 
of as many officers as an organization 



Parliamentary Procedure 19 

sees fit to create. A president, a vice- 
president, a recording secretary, a cor- 
responding secretary, and a treasurer, 
are the officers commonly required under 
an ordinary constitution. Provision 
should also be made for an auditing com- 
mittee. The duties of these officers are 
defined by parliamentary law, and if the 
constitution calls for the creation of more 
than these it must define their duties. 

The constitution of a permanent organi- 
zation must contain five articles, and may 
contain seven. If five, they are as follows: 

1. Name and object of the society. 

2. Qualification of members. 

3. Officers. 

4. Meetings. 

5. How to amend the constitution. 
If seven articles are required they are 

as follows: 

1. Name. 

2. Object. 

3. QuaHfication of members. 

4. Officers. 

5. Meetings. 

6. Finances. 

7. How to amend the constitution. 



20 The Parliamentarian 

The sixth article, "finances", is im- 
portant as it should state from what 
source the club is to derive its income. 

The constitution contains the laws of 
the society. It may also adopt by-laws 
which state the manner in which the 
requirements of the constitution shall 
be carried out. To illustrate: the con- 
stitution calls for the creation of a cer- 
tain number of officers; the by-laws 
specify their duties. By-laws should 
contain all the working details of the 
laws outlined in the constitution. They 
are simply numbered one, two, three, 
etc. By-laws should not require as 
long a notice as the constitution in order 
to be amended, and may provide for their 
own amendments by unanimous vote 
without previous notice (64). It is an 
almost universal rule to adopt by-laws, 
and we usually speak of "Constitution 
and By-laws," in fact, simply speaking 
of a club's constitution is considered 
sufficient to cover both words. 

In addition to constitution and by- 
laws some societies adopt resolutions of 
a permanent nature, which have some 
bearing on the conduct of their meetings. 



Parliamentary Procedure 21 

These are called the Standing Rules. 
A motion obliging every member to be 
present at the time for opening a meeting 
or be subject to a fine, would be a stand- 
ing rule. In order to afford a means of 
settling quickly and satisfactorily all 
disputed parliamentary points, it is wise 
for clubs to adopt some manual as their 
parliamentary authority and have it so 
stated in their constitution. It should 
also be remembered that a constitution 
and by-laws are only effective to the ex- 
tent that they agree with the Law of the 
State in which the Society is operating. 
When the committee appointed to pre- 
sent a constitution is ready to report, 
the chairman announces that the next 
business in order is " the hearing of the 
report of the Committee on Constitution 
and B y-laws . ' ' The chairman of the com- 
mittee, after being recognized by the Chair, 
reads the report. The chairman then 
says : ' 'You have heard the report of your 
committee appointed to present a consti- 
tution and by-laws ; what will you do with 
it ?" The chaiiTQan of the committee then 
moves "That the report of the committee 
be adopted." When this is seconded it is 



22 The Parliamentarian 

repeated by the Chair and becomes the 
question before the house. The Chair 
then say&i "The question is on the adop- 
tion of the constitution reported by the 
committee." He then reads the first 
article of the constitution, and asks: 
"Are there any amendments proposed 
to this article?" If none are offered, 
after a pause, he reads the next article, 
and asks the same question, and pro- 
ceeds thus until he reads the last article, 
when he says: "The whole constitution 
having been read, it is open to amend- 
ment." If there are no suggested 
amendments, he says: "Are you ready 
for the question?" If no one objects he 
puts the question: "As many as are in 
favor of adopting the constitution as 
amended will say aye," and then, "as 
many as are opposed will say no/' He 
distinctly announces the result of the 
vote, which should be done in all cases. 
When an article is amended it is proper 
to move, " That the article be approved as 
amended." No vote should be taken on 
the adoption of the several paragraphs, 
articles or by-laws, as they are 
amended, because it is always possible 



Parliamentary Procedure 23 

that the assembly may desire to go back 
and amend the different paragraphs, 
articles, or By-laws still further before 
they are adopted as a whole. Some 
societies prefer to move, *' That the re- 
port of the committee appointed to pre- 
sent a constitution be considered." If 
this motion is carried, the report is read 
and amended as above, and another 
vote is taken on the adoption after it has 
been amended to meet the views of the 
assembly. "When a society once adopts 
a constitution it must be governed by 
its requirements. It may be amended 
imder the method prescribed for its 
amendment but it cannot be set aside. 
There is an erroneous opinion that a 
constitution can be set aside by a 
unanimous vote. There is no authority 
for this opinion. Neither a constitution, 
nor any part of a constitution can be set 
aside by a unanimous vote, but must 
govern the organization until amended. 
All constitutions must agree with State 
Law. 

3. Convention. The third kind of 
meeting for which parliamentary pro- 



24 The Parliamentarian 

cedure is required, is the convention. It 
is an assemblage of delegates convened 
for the purpose of electing officers, or for 
the transaction of any other business 
relating to the affairs or conduct of the 
independent body they individually rep- 
resent. A convention may be assem- 
bled as is a mass meeting, by means of 
the issuing of a call, or it may meet under 
the requirements of a constitution. In 
the former case the first business after 
the assembly is called to order is the 
appointment of a credentials committee. 
Until this committee reports the ntimber 
of duly accredited delegates present, no 
vote can be taken. When a convention 
meets under the requirements of a con- 
stitution, the credentials committee 
should be appointed before the conven- 
tion convenes; in that case, the first 
business in order after the call to order 
is the report of that committee. This 
report calls for a certain number of duly 
accredited delegates present, and no vote 
is legal that does not tally with the 
number reported. All listed delegates 
should be present or accounted for 



Parliamentary Procedure 25 

when a vote is taken which directly or 
indirectly affects the organization they 
represent. 

All questions which are to be submitted 
to the vote of the convention must be 
stated in the call of the convention. 

A delegate is a person sent with repre- 
sentative powers to a convention for the 
transaction of the business of the organi- 
zation which those persons collectively 
represent. The law requires that they 
be chosen by ballot. A delegate having 
power to pledge his organization to stand 
by the obligations created by the vote 
he casts as its representative, must be 
elected and be able to bring credentials 
to prove that he is a duly accredited 
delegate. 

Conventions are always called to 
transact business which has been pre- 
viously discussed by the organizations 
represented at them by delegates, and 
these delegates come with power to vote 
as they think best for the interest of 
their organizations, which should instruct 
them in a general way as to their feelings 
in regard to the questions at issue. No 
new business can properly be brought 



26 The Parliamentarian 

before a convention for action that has 
not been previously discussed by the 
organizations represented at the con- 
vention. When a vote is taken it 
should be by roll call of delegates (109). 
First, the name of the club should be read 
and then that of the delegate represent- 
ing it. Delegates do not vote as individ- 
uals but as representatives . No delegate 
when speaking to a question at a con- 
vention should state his individual 
opinion, but should voice as far as possi- 
ble the opinion of his club. Conventions 
are for the purpose of taking combined 
action along lines previously discussed 
by the bodies entitled to be represented 
at them. They also transact their regu- 
lar business such as the election of 
officers. 

4. Meetings. Permanent organizations 
working under the requirements of 
a constitution, hold three kinds of meet- 
ings. Annual meetings, regular meet- 
ings, and special meetings. The annual 
meeting should close the club year and 
finish the business. All officers should 



Parliamentary Procedure 27 

render written reports at the annual 
meeting. The annual election is held at 
the annual meeting, and unless there is a 
provision in the constitution to the con- 
trary, all newly elected officers take office 
as soon as elected. Regular meetings 
are meetings held at regular intervals. 
The routine business of an organization 
is transacted at the regular meetings. 
(For order of business see 36.)* 

The session of a club is the period 
over which its business meetings ex- 
tend. All business closes with the ses- 
sion. Clubs usually meet from Fall to 
Spring, in which case unfinished business 
can be left over from one meeting to the 
next, but all unfinished business must be 
acted upon at the meeting that closes 
the session. When a club adopts a line 
of work covering the period over which 
its meetings extend, or any program 
which arranges for all meetings during 
a certain period, its session is not over 
until the work or program is completed. 
When clubs meet continuously through 
the year, the annual meeting closes the 

* See Appendix. 



28 The Parliamentarian 

session. No subject can be brought up 
for action twice in one session. This is 
usually expressed by stating that no 
Main Mjotion can be renewed in the same 
session. Clubs should so arrange their 
constitutions that their session should 
terminate with the annual meeting, 
otherwise the unfinished business will 
hold over, as the annual meeting does not 
terminate the session. 

5. Quorum. A quorum of an assem- 
bly is such a number as is competent to 
transact its business. Unless there is a 
special rule on the subject, or a constitu- 
tional requirement, the quorum of every 
assembly is a majority of all the members 
of the assembly. If a quorum is not 
present a discussion may be held, but no 
business can be transacted, and the only 
motion in order is to adjourn. In per- 
manent organizations it is customary to 
adopt a small number as a quorum and 
this number is stated in the By-laws. 

6. President. The Chairman or Presi- 
dent is elected as the executive officer of 
the club. He should preside at all meet- 



Parliamentary Procedure 29 

ings of the club and of the Executive 
Board. He must see that the require- 
ments of the constitution are strictly 
carried out and that all proceedings are 
conducted according to parliamentary 
procedure. He is there to carry out the 
will of the club, not his own, and should 
therefore refrain from expressing any 
opinion while in the chair. If he desires 
to speak to a question before the house 
he must leave the chair, which should be 
occupied by the Vice-President while the 
President is speaking. When a member 
rises to speak, the President must repeat 
his name and thus accord his recognition 
and the floor. If two rise simultaneously 
the Chair can decide on the one he will 
recognize first, but the other must be 
recognized when the one chosen has 
spoken. A president stands when he 
addresses the house and sits when the 
members address him. When a motion 
is made and seconded it should be sub- 
mitted to the Recording Secretary in 
writing. It is then repeated by the 
Chair and becomes the question before 
the house, and the Chair announces that 



30 The Parliamentarian 

the subject is open for discussion. Com- 
mon usage has fixed a time limit of three 
minutes or less, for each speaker, for 
ordinary club discussions. A president 
should never take part in a discussion 
unless he feels the club requires some in- 
formation that he alone can give, or 
unless some principle is involved. If he 
once allows the club to feel that he is 
partisan, he loses much of his influence. 
The President must preserve order. 
One stroke of the gavel calls the club to 
order, three strokes call an unruly meet- 
ing to order. When an improper mo- 
tion is made, instead of simply ruling it 
out of order, the Chair should explain 
why it cannot be put, and if possible, sug- 
gest one on the line that can. It is his 
business to see that the will of the club 
is carried out, and if they err through 
ignorance, he should guide them aright. 
A president can refuse to entertain a 
motion that he sees is introduced in 
order to cause unnecessary disputation. 
If the majority of the house is with him, 
they will sustain him if his decision is 
appealed from. The Chair cannot rule 



Parliamentary Procedure 31 

a motion out of order, the purpose of 
which is simply to delay action; it is 
only justifiable when it is perfectly clear 
that the opposition is trying to obstruct 
business. All questions of privilege or 
order are decided by the Chair, subject 
to appeal. A president should above 
all things be self-controlled; he cannot 
control others if he cannot control him- 
self. In case of a tie, the Chair may 
throw the casting vote, and if a two- 
thirds vote is necessary and his vote 
thrown with the minority would defeat 
the measure, he has a right to cast it. 
He may also vote with the minority 
when it would produce a tie vote and so 
cause the motion to fail. When the vote 
is by ballot he is entitled to vote as a 
member of the assembly. The Presi- 
dent must authenticate by his signature, 
all the acts of the assembly as occasion 
may demand, and must stand for and 
represent the organization at all times, 
and in all things obey its commands. 
All chairmen and presidents should re- 
member that, "The great purpose of all 
rules and forms is to subserve the will of 



32 The Parliamentarian 

the assembly rather than to restrain it; 
to facilitate and not to obstruct the ex- 
pression of their deliberate sense." 

7. Vice-President. The Vice-President 
is elected for the purpose of fulfill- 
ing the President's duties when the latter 
is absent. He should also assist the Presi- 
dent in every way in his power to carry 
on the work of the club. 

8. Recording Secretary. A Recording 

Secretary is always seated upon the 
platform. He takes notes of the pro- 
ceedings and embodies them in the 
minutes, which are a record of all actions 
taken. In the absence of the President 
and Vice-President the Recording Secre- 
tary presides over the meeting. In that 
case the minutes are taken by the Cor- 
responding Secretary. All official docu- 
ments belonging to a club are in the 
hands of the Recording Secretary. Dur- 
ing the course of a meeting the Record- 
ing Secretary advises the Chair as to 
what business is in order. When a mo- 
tion is made it should be written down, 



Parliamentary Procedure 33 

together with the name of the mover 
and seconder, and given to the Record- 
ing Secretary, who reads it before the 
President gives it to the club, but a 
motion of small importance is usually 
submitted verbally. After a motion is 
read by the Recording Secretary the 
Chair then says: " You have heard the 
motion; what is your pleasure? " and 
so throws it open for discussion. When 
motions are not submitted in writing, 
they are repeated verbally by the Chair. 

9. Minutes. The Recording Secre- 
tary keeps the minutes of the assembly, 
which are a record of all actions taken. 
Motions that are withdrawn do not ap- 
pear on the minutes. All motions that 
are put to a vote appear on the minutes, 
together with the names of the mover 
and seconder and the result of the vote. 
Motions should be recorded as follows: 
"Moved by Mr. A., seconded by Mr. 
B." that such and such action be taken. 
Carried or lost, as the case may be. 

The minutes should be neatly written 
in ink in the record book, leaving a mar- 
gin for corrections. After they are ap- 



34 The Parliamentarian 

proved they may be corrected at any 
time. The minutes should be signed by 
the Secretary and written in a bound 
book, and separate minute books should 
be provided for the minutes of the meet- 
ingfe of the Board of Directors and of the 
Society. Minutes are a record of actions 
taken and should only be read to the 
body whose actions they record. If the 
Secretary is absent the person acting 
as Secretary must sign the minutes as 
Secretary pro tern. Under no circimi- 
stances should criticism of what is said 
appear in the minutes. If a Society 
desires to keep a record of speeches 
delivered before it, a Recorder should 
be appointed to take notes on the speeches, 
and they should be recorded in a sep- 
arate book. 

lo. Corresponding Secretary. The du- 
ties of a Corresponding Secretary are 
such as the name indicates. He attends 
to all the correspondence of the society, 
sends out all notices, notifies members 
of their election, keeps the official 



Parliamentary Procedure 35 

list of the members of the club, and at- 
tends to all clerical work that is not a 
question of records. 

11. Treasurer. The Treasurer has 
charge of all the funds of the society. 
He collects and holds the initiation fees 
and dues, and dispenses them as di- 
rected by the club. He presents a state- 
ment at every business meeting, and 
renders a report once a year. His yearly 
report, previous to its reception by the 
club, must go before the Auditing Com- 
mittee. The Treasurer pays all bills 
that have been authorized by the club or 
the Executive Board, but before they 
are paid they must be approved by the 
President. 

12. Auditing Committee. When the 

Treasurer's yearly report is completed it 
is referred to an "auditing committee," 
consisting of one or two persons, who 
examine the Treasurer's books and 
vouchers, and certify on his report that 
they "have examined his accounts and 
vouchers and fmd them correct, and the 



36 The Parliamentarian 

balance on hand is," etc., stating the 
amount on hand. The Auditing Com- 
mittee's report being accepted, is equiva- 
lent to a resolution of the club's to the 
same effect — namely, that the Treasurer's 
report is correct. The details of dates 
and separate payments for the same ob- 
ject are a hindrance to the Treasurer's 
statements rendered at the regular 
meetings, being understood, and are a 
useless waste of the club's time. They 
should be left to the Executive Board 
and the Auditing Committee. 

13. Honorary Officers. Honorary Offi- 
cers are created by the vote of the club, 
and hold office subject to the will of the 
club. They cannot vote or hold execu- 
tive office, and are held exempt from 
the payment of dues. The same rule 
applies to honorary members. 

14. Order of Business for a Regular 
Meeting. This order of business is in- 
serted, together with the necessary re- 
marks which the Chair should make, in 
the hope that it may be found useful by 
inexperienced chairmen. 



Parliamentary Procedure 37 

Call to Order. "The meeting will 
please come to order." 

Reading of Minutes. "We will now 
listen to the minutes of the previous 
meeting. ' ' After the minutes have been 
read: "You have heard the minutes; if 
there are no corrections they will stand 
approved as read." If they are cor- 
rected, "With these corrections they will 
stand approved as read;" to which 
may be added after a moment's delay, 
"They are so approved." 

Statement of Treasurer. ' ' We will now 
hear the statement of the Treasurer." 
When the statement has been read the 
Chair will say: "The statement of the 
Treasurer will be received as read." 

Corresponding Secretary. The Chair 
will ask: "Has the Corresponding Secre- 
tary anything to bring before the club?" 
If any is read, it is acted upon. 

Chairmen of Standing Committees. 
The Chair inquires whether the Chairmen 
of the Standing Committees have any 
reports to make. Such statements are re- 
corded in the minutes only when they con- 
tain something of vital interest to the Club. 



38 The Parliamentarian 

Special Committee. If the report of 
any Special Committee is in order, this 
is the place to introduce it. 

Unfinished Business. "Is there any 
unfinished business to come before the 
club?" 

New Business. ' * Any new business ? ' ' 

Topic of the Day. If there is a topic 
to be discussed or a paper to be read, this 
is the proper time. 

Announcements. 

Motion to adjourn. 

15. Order of Business for Annual 
Meeting. 

Call to order. 
Reading of minutes. 
Report of President. 
Report of Recording Secretary. 
Report of Corresponding Secretary. 
*Report of Treasurer (read) . 
Report of Auditing Committee. 
Report of Treasurer put to vote. 
Reports of Standing Committees. 
Reports of Special Committees (if 
_____any). 

* Treasurer's report is sometimes presented with the 
attestation of the Committee on Audit attached. 



Parliamentary Procedure 39 

Unfinished Business. 

New Business. 

Election of Officers. 

Motion to Adjourn. 

All reports presented at the an- 
nual meeting must be voted 
upon. 

16. Proper Form of Minutes. The 

following is a form of minutes which may 
be employed to record the action taken 
at a regular meeting, and modified to 
meet the requirements of other meetings. 
A regular meeting of the Parliament Club 
was held on Thursday, April 8, 19 14, at 
Union Hall, New York City, N. Y. 
The President, Mr. James Mann, called 
the meeting to order at 8 p.m. Min- 
utes of previous meeting read and ap- 
proved ; statement of Treasurer showing a 
balance on hand of $315 received as read. 
The Corresponding Secretary read a let- 
ter from the President of the Progress 
Club, congratulating the Parliament 
Club on the good work they had done 
along parliamentary lines. Moved by 
Mr. L., seconded by Mr. R., that the 
Corresponding Secretary be instructed 



40 The Parliamentarian 

to write a letter of thanks to the Presi- 
dent of the Progress Club. Carried. 
The Chairman of the House Committee 
announced that an electric fan had been 
placed in the hall assuring better venti- 
lation. Moved by Mr. R., seconded by 
Mr. H., that the members of the Parlia- 
ment Club be requested to be in their 
places at. 10.30 A. M. Carried. The 
Committee on Procedure then took 
charge of the meeting, and the Chairman, 
Mr, K., gave an interesting talk on the 
'Relative Value of Law and Order.' 
Moved by Mr. J., seconded by Mr. X.,that 
the meeting do now adjourn. Carried. 
Meeting adjourned at 10 p.m. 

Respectfully submitted, 
James Brown. 

Recording Secretary. 
17. Executive Board. In the organ- 
ization of every Society provisions are 
made under the Law, for the holding of 
an annual election at which time certain 
members are elected to attend to the 
business of the organization. These 
when elected form an Executive Board. 
It may be called a Board of Directors 



Parliamentary Procedure 41 

or a Board of Trustees; any name that 
is chosen should preserve the word 
" Board " in order to differentiate from 
that of ** Committee," as a committee 
cannot attend to executive work and no 
Executive Board can be called a Com- 
mittee. All members must be elected 
by ballot. The entire Board may be 
elected by ballot annually, or it may be 
elected in alternating periods. In the 
latter case the State Law should be con- 
sulted so that the terms of office for each 
set of Directors shall be properly fixed. 
It is allowable for certain members of the 
Board to be named for certain offices 
when elected, but the better way is to 
have the officers chosen annually by the 
Board from its own number. At all 
meetings of the Board the President pre- 
sides. Attendance at these meetings is 
restricted to members of the Board. Dis- 
cussions in a Board of Directors are con- 
sidered confidential, and nothing that is 
heard at that time shoiild be repeated. 

Any business necessary to allow the 
work of the Society to be done, and the 
provisions of the Constitution and By- 



42 The Parliamentarian 

laws to be carried out, is the work of the 
Executive Board. 

1 8. Introduction of Business. All 

business should be brought before the 
assembly by a motion of a member, or by 
the presentation of a communication to 
the assembly. When motions are neces- 
sary in order to facilitate routine busi- 
ness, the Chair may dispense with the 
formality of having any mover and 
seconder. In that case he suggests the 
proper motion, and, if there are no ob- 
jections, it is passed by tacit consent. 
Before a member can make a motion or 
speak on any subject, he must obtain the 
floor. To do this he must rise and ad- 
dress the Chair. If the presiding officer 
is a gentleman, he must say, "Mr. Chair- 
man," or "Mr. President," as the case 
may be. If the presiding officer is a 
lady, he substitutes "Madam" for 
"Mr." The Chair recognizes the mem- 
ber by repeating his name. If the name 
is not known he must ask for it. When 
the name is repeated the member has 
been recognized and has a right to speak. 



Parliamentary Procedure 43 

If two or more members rise at the same 
time, the Chair must decide who is en- 
titled to the floor, which he does by 
announcing that member's name. From 
this decision of the Chair, any two mem- 
bers may appeal (See 67). When the 
Chair is in doubt as to who is entitled to 
the floor, he can allow the assembly to 
decide the matter by vote. In deciding 
whom to recognize, the Chair should be 
guided by the following principles: (i) 
The member who made the motion has 
the first right to the floor to speak to his 
motion. ( 2 ) A member who has already 
spoken to the motion cannot be recog- 
nized unless no one else desires the floor. 
(3) Under the rules of parliamentary 
procedure, the floor must be accorded 
alternately to the aflirmative and nega- 
tive. After the floor has been assigned 
to a member he cannot be interrupted 
by anybody, except (i) to have a motion 
to reconsider, entered on the minutes, 
(2) a question of order, (3) an objection 
to the consideration of the question (4) 
a call for the orders of the day, or a ques- 
tion of privilege. A member who ob- 



44 The Parliamentarian 

tains the floor and desires to make a 
motion says, "I move/' and then states 
his motion. If it is not seconded it is 
not noticed by the Chair. If it is sec- 
onded it is at once repeated by the 
Chair. When a motion is made it is a 
suggestion; any member present, with 
the consent of the mover, may suggest a 
change in the wording. After it is sec- 
onded it becomes a motion, and the word- 
ing can only be changed with the consent 
of the mover and seconder. When it is 
repeated by the Chair it becomes the 
question before the house, and the word- 
ing can only be changed with the con- 
sent of the house. (See 59.) Amotion 
that has once been repeated by the 
Chair is the property of the house, and 
can only be withdrawn with their con- 
sent. It is also the question before the 
house and must be disposed of before 
another question, or Main Motion can be 
introduced. As soon as a motion has 
been given the assembly, it is in order 
for the mover to speak to his motion. 
He should state why he made it and what 
effect he considers it will have if passed. 



Parliamentary Procedure 45 

If the mover of a motion is not pre- 
pared to speak to it and explain why it 
was introduced, it is ruled out of order. 
It is necessary first, that a motion be 
made by a member who has the floor; 
second, that it be seconded; and third, 
that it be stated by the presiding officer. 
When it is moved it is a suggestion; 
when seconded, it becomes a motion; 
when repeated by the Chair it is the 
question before the house. A presi- 
dent has a right to request that all 
motions be submitted in writing. He 
can also request the Recording Secretary 
to read the motions submitted. 

While, generally speaking, all mo- 
tions require to be seconded there are 
a few exceptions: Call for the Orders 
of the Day; a Question of Order; an 
Objection to the Consideration of a 
Question; and purely routine motions. 
In the last instance, the presiding officer 
merely announces that, if no objection 
is made, such will be considered the 
action of the assembly. 

19. Main Motion. A Principal or Main 
Question is a motion made to bring be- 



46 The Parliamentarian 

fore the assembly, for its consideration, 
any particular subject. A Main Motion 
can only be introduced once during a 
session. It yields to all Privileged, Inci- 
dental, Subsidiary and Miscellaneous 
Motions ; it takes precedence of nothing. 
All business is introduced by means of a 
motion and this motion is called the 
Main Question or Main Motion. All 
motions we know are questions that 
remain before an assembly until some 
conclusion is arrived at. A Principal 
or Main Motion is one that suggests 
action and therefore yields to all motions 
that directly refer to it, and do not call 
for different action. A club may have 
but one Main Motion before it at one 
time. 

20. Subsidiary Motions. — Motions are 
classified as Subsidiary, Incidental, and 
Privileged. The more unimportant a 
motion is the more highly is it privileged. 
The Main Motion is the most important, 
and it yields to all the other motions. 
Next in importance rank the Subsidiary 
Motions. They are: 



Parliamentary Procedure 47 

To Lay on the Table. 

The Previous Question, 

To Postpone to a Certain Time. 

To Commit. 

To Amend. 

To Postpone Indefinitely. 
Any of these motions (except to 
amend) may be made when one of a 
lower order has the floor. In the follow- 
ing cases they can be applied to each 
other. When the motion to Postpone to 
a Certain Day is before the house, the 
Previous Question may be applied to it 
without affecting the Main Question. 
When a Main Question and an amend- 
ment are before the house, the Previous 
Question may be applied to the amend- 
ment without effecting the Main Motion. 
The motions to Postpone to a Certain 
Day, to Commit and to Amend, may be 
amended; a motion to Amend the min- 
utes may be laid on the table without 
carrying the minutes with it. 

21. To Lay on the Table. The motion 
to Lay on the Table being the most 
highly privileged of all the Subsidiary 



48 The Parliamentarian 

motions, takes precedence of the others. 
It may be moved after the Previous 
Question is before the house, provided the 
result of the vote on the Previous Ques- 
tion has not been announced. It yields 
to any Privileged or Incidental Ques- 
tion. It is not debatable, and an affirma- 
tive vote on it cannot be reconsidered. 
If carried it removes the question before 
the house from its consideration until 
such time as the assembly vote to take 
it up again. When a member desires to 
make this motion he says: "I move to 
lay the question on the table." When 
it is desired to take it off the table and 
bring the question before the house again, 
a motion is made — "That the question 
be taken from the table." This motion 
is undebatable and cannot have any 
other subsidiary motion applied to it. 
Its object is to postpone the subject in 
such a way that it can be taken up at 
any time, either at the same, or at some 
future meeting, which could not be ac- 
complished by the use of a motion to 
postpone. Some hold the erroneous 
opinion that a motion once tabled can- 



Parliamentary Procedure 49 

not be brought up in the same session. 
This is not so ; a motion may be taken 
off the table at any time, provided the 
assembly so vote. When this motion is 
carried it removes from the considera- 
tion of the assembly, not only the ques- 
tion on which it is moved, but all ques- 
tions connected with that question. If 
a Main Motion is before the house and an 
amendment to the Main Motion has been 
moved, the motion to lay on the table, if 
carried, would table not only the Main 
Motion but the amendment. To this 
rule there are certain exceptions. An 
appeal from the decision of the Chair, if 
tabled, has the effect of sustaining the 
Chair for the time being at least, and 
does not table the original subject. 
When a motion to reconsider is laid on 
the table, the original motion is left just 
where it was before the reconsideration 
was moved. An amendment to the 
minutes may be laid on the table without 
carrying the minutes with it.* This 
motion is very valuable w^hen it is desired 
to defer action until a more propitious 

* See Appendix. 



50 The Parliamentarian 

time, but the majority should remember 
that the minority may stay until the 
moment of final adjournment, and then 
be in the majority and take up and act 
upon the motion laid on the table.* 

2 2. The Previous Question. The sec- 
ond of the Subsidiary Motions is the 
Previous Question. This motion takes 
precedence of every debatable question. 
It yields to Privileged and Incidental 
Questions and to the Subsidiary Motion 
to Lay on Table. It is undebatable, can- 
not be amended or have any other Sub- 
sidiary Motion applied to it; it requires 
a two-thirds vote, and if carried, the de- 
bate is instantly closed, and the assem- 
bly vote at once on the pending business. 
A member may submit a resolution and 
at once call for the Previous Question on 
the resolution. When a member calls 
for the Previous Question, and the call 
is seconded, the Chair must at once 
say: "The Previous Question has been 
moved and seconded; all those in favor 
of closing the debate will say aye," after 
the ayes have been counted, which usually 
requires a standing vote, the Chair will 

* See Appendix. 



. Parliamentary Procedure 51 

the ayes have been counted, which usually 
requires a standing vote, the Chair will 
say, " Those opposed will say no." If 
the motion is lost, the discussion con- 
tinues as if no motion had been made ; if 
the motion is carried, the pending question 
is at once put to vote without further 
debate. Another form of putting the 
Previous Question is: "It is moved and 
seconded that debate shall now cease." 
Presiding officers should be sure that the 
meaning of this motion is clearly under- 
stood before it is put to vote. Often 
the motion is carried and then the as- 
sembly feel indignant because further 
remarks are not in order. Another com- 
mon error is to think that an affirmative 
vote on the Previous Question is an af- 
firmative vote on the pending question, 
or vice versa. The Previous Question is 
simply an expression of the will of the 
assembly as to their readiness to close 
debate on the question they are discuss- 
ing. When the Previous Question is 
carried, the motion that the house has 
been discussing, which is called "the 
pending business," is at once put to 



52 The Parliamentarian 

vote. If a motion had been introduced 
in regard to arranging for an annual 
dinner, and after a certain amount of dis- 
cussion, the Previous Question was called 
for and carried, the question of the dinner 
would immediately be put to vote. 

If an amendment has been proposed 
to the motion in regard to the dinner and 
the Previous Question is carried, its effect 
is exhausted on the amendment unless 
the mover included the main motion 
when moving the Previous Question. If 
the motion to Commit is before the house 
and the Previous Question is introduced 
and carried its effect is exhausted on the 
motion to Commit. 

After the Previous Question has been 
carried up to the time the last vote is 
taken under it the motion to Lay on the 
Table is in order. 

The motion to Reconsider may be ap- 
plied to the Previous Question before any 
vote has been taken imder it. 

The Previous Question is the only 
means a member has at his command to 
stop debate or to ascertain if debatfe can 
be stopped. . 



Parliamentary Procedure 53 

If the Chair feels that discussion has 
lasted long enough, he may say " Are 
you ready for the question? " If no one 
rises to obtain the floor or no protest of 
any kind is made, the motion under 
discussion is immediately put to vote; 
if any member of the assembly protests 
against discussion being closed the dis- 
cussion must continue. It is never in 
order for a member of an assembly to 
call out " question"; the only method a 
member of an assembly may employ to 
endeavor to close discussion and bring 
the pending business to a vote, is to 
move the Previous Question. 

In former years the Previous Question 
when carried was not exhausted imtil 
all business before the house was put to 
vote. To illustrate, if a main motion 
was under discussion and an amend- 
ment to it was introduced and then an 
amendment to the amendment, the 
Previous Question if carried would 
not be exhausted until the amend- 
ment to the amendment, the amend- 
ment, and the main motion had been 
voted upon. Under the present rules 



54 The Parliamentarian 

as established by the United States 
Congress, the Previous Question is ex- 
hausted when the pending business is 
put to vote. To use the example given 
above, the effect of the Previous Question 
at the present time would be exhausted 
when the amendment to the amend- 
ment was put to vote unless the mover of 
the Previous Question stated when intro- 
ducing the motion that he wished it to 
affect the series of motions before the 
house. 

The Previous Question is a motion 
founded on the Parliamentary Rule that 
a two-thirds vote of the assembly con- 
trols discussion, and the object of the 
motion is to ascertain if two-thirds of the 
assembly are ready to vote on the pend- 
ing business. 

Before the Previous Question is put 
to vote the Chair should always explain 
the effect it will have, whether it will 
only bring one motion to a vote or whether 
it will effect a series. 

23. To Postpone to a Certain Day. 

This is the third of the Subsidiary Mo- 
tions. It takes precedence of the mo- 



Parliamentary Procedure 55 

tions to Commit, or Amend, or Indefi- 
nately Postpone. It yields to any Privi- 
leged or Incidental Motion and to the 
first two of the Subsidiary Motions, to 
Lay on the Table and the Previous Ques- 
tion. It may be amended by altering 
the time. It admits of a short debate 
on the advisability of the postponement. 
The Previous Question can be applied to 
it without affecting other pending busi- 
ness. The form of this motion is: "I 
move that the further consideration of 
this question be postponed until (here 
state time)." If car;ried, the considera- 
tion of the question is deferred until the 
time specified when it becomes part of 
the Orders of the Day, and is taken up 
under unfinished business and takes 
preference of everything except a Privi- 
leged Question. If a motion to consider 
the question at once can be carried by a 
two-thirds vote before the time set by 
the motion to postpone, the postpone- 
ment is set aside and the question is con- 
sidered at once. It is not in order to 
postpone to a time beyond the limits of 
the session. When this motion is in- 
troduced at a meeting of a society which 



56 The Parliamentarian 

does not hold regular meetings, the date 
of the next meeting must be ascertained 
before the motion is put. If a special 
meeting is to be called, and it is desired to 
postpone the consideration of a question 
until then, the date of the special meet- 
ing must be ascertained before the mo- 
tion to postpone is framed. When a 
question is presented about which very 
little is known, it is often wise to move a 
postponement with a view to obtaining 
information in regard to the subject. 
It is a motion that delays action. 

24. To Commit, or Refer. It is usual 
in deliberative assemblies to have all pre- 
liminary work, necessary to prepare for 
the action they desire to take, done by 
committees. All committees are cre- 
ated under the Subsidiary Motion To 
Commit, unless they are created under 
the requirements of a constitution. To 
Commit, is the fourth of the Subsidiary 
Questions and takes precedence of the 
motions to Amend or To Postpone In- 
definitely. It yields to any Privileged 
or Incidental Question, and to the Sub- 
sidiary Motions To Lay on the Table, 



Parliamentary Procedure 57 

The Previous Question, and to Postpone 
to a Certain Day. It can be amended by 
altering the number of the committee or 
inserting instructions to guide it in the 
manner in which its work shall be con- 
ducted, or by defining its powers. It is 
debatable only on the advisability of com- 
mitting the main motion. 

If the matter has already been in 
the hands of a committee, this motion is 
to Recommit. The form of this motion 
is, "I move that the question before us 
be referred to a committee." The mo- 
tion can be so worded as to define the 
number of the committee and the method 
of its appointment, as follows: " I move 
that the question before us be referred 
to a committee of five to be appointed 
by the Chair." If the motion does 
not state the number of the committee 
and the method of its appointment, 
the Chair should ask "What is the 
pleasure of the house in regard to 
the number of the committee and 
the method of its appointment." He 
may say, "Of how many shall the 
committee consist?" "By what 
method shall they be appointed?" 



58 The Parliamentarian 

When committees are appointed by 
the Chair, the first person named is 
Chairman unless the committee, by 
a majority vote of its members, elect 
another chairman. If a committee is 
appointed- by the Chair, the Chairman 
may be specified and no change 
can be made by the committee. 
Sometimes the Chair has power to 
appoint a chairman and allow him to 
choose his own committee. If the 
committee is nominated by the house, 
no member may nominate more than one 
name unless by general consent. If only 
the necessary number of names are 
nominated by the house they may be 
put to vote collectively as follows: "As 
many as are in favor of these gentle- 
men constituting the committee will 
say aye." If the nominations made 
are more than the number decided upon 
for the committee, the names are voted 
upon singly, or preferably, by the filling 
of blanks (63). Committees, as a gen- 
eral rule, should consist of an odd num- 
ber, but there are many exceptions. If 
for action, they should be small, if for 
deliberation, they should be large. When 



Parliamentary Procedure 59 

the number of which a committee should 
consist is being discussed by the house, 
the smallest number suggested is always 
voted upon first. Committees are of 
three kinds, (i) Committee of the Whole 
(see 87); (2) Standing Committees (see 
90); (3) Special Committees (see 91). 
Discussions in regard to delicate and 
troublesome questions should be con- 
fined to committees, and kept, as much 
as possible, from the floor of the open 
meeting. A committee is in all cases 
the creature of the assembly that cre- 
ates it, and can in no case exceed its in- 
structions. In some constitutions the 
president is made ex-officio a member 
of all committees. This permits but 
does not require that a president act as 
member of committees. The President 
is not a member of any committee except 
by virtue of a special rule, unless he is 
so appointed by the assembly. To dis- 
charge a committee without notice re- 
quires a two-thirds vote. 

25. To Amend. This motion takes 
precedence of nothing but the question 
it is proposed to amend. It yields to 



6o The Parliamentarian 

all Privileged and Incidental Questions, 
and to the Subsidiary Questions, — To 
Lay on the Table, The Previous Ques- 
tion, To Postpone to a Certain Day, 
and To Commit. It takes precedence of 
the sixth Subsidiary Question, To Post- 
pone Indefinitely. It may be applied to 
all motions which may be amended. 
(See list at the end of next section.) It 
may be amended, but this amendment 
of an amendment cannot be amended. 
An amendment must be germane to the 
sense of the motion it is intended to 
amend; but it may conflict with the 
spirit of the original motion. A motion 
to authorize the expenditure of fifty dol- 
lars for a rug may be amended to author- 
ize the expenditure of fifty dollars for 
some other article of furniture. An 
amendment may be made by adding, 
inserting, or striking out, or by a com- 
bination of any or all of these three 
methods. When a motion is presented 
to take the place of the one before the 
house, it is called a substitution and 
can only be moved as a first amend- 
ment. Any number of amendments 
may be made one by one, but only one 



Parliamentary Procedure 6i 

amendment, and one amendment to 
that amendment may be before the 
house at the same time. A question 
can only be amended in one place at 
one time; it is not possible to amend a 
question in different places at the same 
time. A first amendment may be 
amended, but the amendment must be 
an amendment to the first amendment 
and not another amendment to the 
main motion. To illustrate, if it had 
been moved "That the House Com- 
mittee be authorized to buy a rug," and 
a first amendment had been moved, to 
the effect, "The cost not to exceed fifty 
dollars," the second amendment, or more 
properly the amendment to the amend- 
ment, must be confined strictly to this 
question of cost. The following rule 
may be found helpful: "The second 
amendment must bear the same rela- 
tion to the first amendment as does the 
letter B to the letters A and C, and not 
the relation that W bears to A and C." 
The amendment to the amendment is 
primarily an amendment to the first 
amendment and only secondarily (that 
is to say, through the medium of the 



62 The Parliamentarian 

first amendment) an amendment to 
the main question. An amendment 
when it is moved is a suggested change 
in the wording of a motion, a change 
which may conflict with the spirit but 
must be germane to the subject of the 
motion it is intended to amend. When 
an amendment is carried it at once 
becomes an integral part of the motion 
it amends. An amendment once agreed 
upon by the assembly cannot be further 
amended. To illustrate: If our Main 
Motion consist of the letters A and B 
and it is moved that C be inserted 
between A and B, and the amendment 
is carried, C cannot afterwards be 
amended, because it has been agreed to 
in that form, and, so, if it is moved to 
leave out B, and that amendment is 
carried, B cannot afterwards be amended, 
because that would be in the nature of 
a vote to set aside the will of the house. 
The only method to be pursued in 
either of the above cases is to move a 
reconsideration on the amendment. As 
the assembly is not necessarily obliged 
to consider a question merely because it 
is regularly moved and seconded, it is 



Parliamentary Procedure 63 

consequently possible, with the consent 
of the house, to allow an entirely differ- 
ent motion to be substituted for the one 
before them, provided the first one has 
not been discussed. 

When a question consists of two or 
more distinct propositions it is in the 
power of the house to have the question 
divided and to consider the propositions 
separately. This is called "A division 
of the Question" and is one form of 
amendment. To illustrate : If a motion 
was before the house calling for the 
appointment of a conmiittee to arrange 
an entertainmicnt with power to spend 
a certain sum of money, it might be 
moved that the question be divided 
and the feasibility of placing the matter 
of the entertainment in the hands of a 
committee be first considered and then 
the amount to be expended. When a 
question is divided the different propo- 
sitions are voted upon separately. 

When a date is to be decided upon or 
a Slim of money, the form of amend- 
ment called the filling of blanks is used. 
Each member receives a piece of paper 
and writes on it the date or sum pre- 



64 The Parliamentarian 

ferred. Then the vote is taken on the 
different siims and dates proposed; the 
smallest sum is voted on first and the 
latest date. Nominations are often de- 
cided upon by this method, the nominees 
whose names appear the oftenest on the 
papers being ratified as the choice of the 
Society. This method of obtaining nom- 
inations is sometimes erroneously re- 
ferred to as an informal ballot, which 
is a misnomer. 

26. An Amendment to a Constitution 
and By-laws requires previous notice 
and two-thirds vote, unless the instru- 
ment provide some other method for its 
own amendment. Organizations hold- 
ing infrequent meetings often consider 
it wise to provide that the By-laws may 
be amended by a unanimous vote with- 
out previous notice. An amendment to 
a Constitution or By-laws cannot be 
enforced to affect action already agreed 
upon. To illustrate: If a club has 
made arrangements to hold an election 
and the nominees have been decided 
upon, no amendment affecting their 
eligibility to hold office could be 
enforced. Any amendment in regard to 



Parliamentary Procedure 65 

the eligibility of the members to hold 
office passed after a ticket has been 
accepted cannot affect the nominees on 
that ticket. An amendment to a Con- 
stitution or By-laws cannot be passed and 
acted upon at the same meeting, but By- 
laws may be amended and the amendment 
take effect at the same meeting, provided 
the amendment is one that does not inter- 
fere with the rights or privileges of any of 
the members. Any proposed amendment 
to a Constitution or By-laws should be 
submitted to a legal authority to insure of 
its being within the State Law, as any 
part of a Constitution or By-laws, which 
is contrary to the Law is invalid. The 
following motions cannot be amended : 

To Adjourn (when unqualified). 

A Call for the Orders of the Day. 

Incidental Questions. 

To Lay on the Table. 

The Previous Question. 

An Amendment to an Amendment. 

To Postpone Indefinitely. 

To Reconsider. 

27. To Postpone Indefinitely. This is 
the sixth of the Subsidiary Questions. It 



66 The Parliamentarian 

takes precedence of nothing but the 
Main Motion and yields to any Privi- 
leged or Incidental Question, and to the 
Subsidiary Questions, To Lay on the 
Table, the Previous Question, to Post- 
pone to a Certain Day and to Commit. 
It can be applied to nothing but a Ques- 
tion of Privilege and the Main Motion. 
It cannot be amended. When this mo- 
tion is made it brings the question 
which it is proposed to postpone before 
the house for discussion. When this 
motion is carried it removes the question 
indefinitely postponed from before the 
house for the remainder of the session. 
It is, in fact, equivalent to having the 
question defeated. When this motion 
is pending and the Previous Question is 
called for, the effect of the Previous 
Question is limited to the motion to Post- 
pone Indefinitely. 

28. Incidental Questions. Incidental 
Questions are such as arise out of ques- 
tions that present themselves in the 
course of the meeting and consequently 
take precedence of, and are decided 
before, the questions which give rise to 



Parliamentary Procedure 67 

them. They yield to Privileged Ques- 
tions and cannot be amended. They 
are undebatable with the exception of 
the first, which under certain circum- 
stances is open to debate. They are: 

Questions of Order and Appeal. 

Objection to the Consideration of the 
Question. 

The Reading of Papers. 

Withdrawal of a Motion. 

Suspension of the Rules. 

29. Questions of Order and Appeal. A 

question of order naturally takes prece- 
dence of the question giving rise to it, and 
must be decided by the presiding officer 
without debate. When a member thinks 
that the business before the assembly is 
being conducted in an unparliamentary 
manner, he rises in his place and ad- 
dresses the Chair, saying, "I rise to a 
point of order." He is then asked to 
state his point of order, which he does. 
The presiding officer at once rules on 
the question of order. If his ruling is 
unpleasing to the member, he can say, 
"I appeal from the decision of the 
Chair." If the appeal is seconded it 



68 The Parliamentarian 

may be put to vote as follows, " Shall 
the decision of the Chair stand as the 
judgment of the assembly? " or, " Shall 
the decision of the Chair be sustained?" 
(The word *' club " may be used instead 
of " assembly.") This vote is usually a 
standing vote, but it may be taken by 
acclamation. (See 107.) An appeal, if 
debatable, may be given the assembly to 
decide. In that case the presiding offi- 
cer asks for expressions of opinion, and 
states the reasons upon which he bases 
his decision without leaving the chair. 
When an Appeal relates simply to 
indecorum, or to the priority of busi- 
ness, or if it is made while the Previous 
Question is pending, it is undebatable. 
When an appeal is debatable, the motion 
to Lay on the Table can be applied to 
it ; but if this motion is carried and the 
appeal is tabled, the original subject 
before the house is not tabled. (See 
49.) The Previous Question can also 
be applied to an appeal that is open to 
debate, and the effect of the Previous 
Question is exhausted on the appeal. 
The vote on an appeal may be recon- 
sidered. When an appeal is being dis- 



Parliamentary Procedure 69 

cussed no member of the house may- 
speak more than once. In all cases the 
presiding officer should not put an 
appeal to vote until he is assured that 
the house clearly understands the ques- 
tion at issue, and this is true of all ques- 
tions. After the vote is taken the pre- 
siding officer announces that the decision 
of the Chair is sustained, or re versed, ^as 
the case may be. It is the duty of the 
presiding officer to preserve order and 
enforce parHamentary law. He should 
always be supported by the house unless 
it is seen that his conduct is willfully 
unjust and arbitrary; or that he is using 
his position as presiding officer to carry 
out his own will and not the will of the 
assembly. 

30. Objection to the Consideration of a 
Question. If a question presented to 
the assembly is displeasing to any 
member, or there is a member present 
who feels that the question should not 
be discussed by the house, he may 
Object to the Consideration of the 
Question. This objection must be 
moved as soon as the question has been 



70 The Parliamentarian 

repeated by the Chair; if any one has 
spoken to the motion the objection is 
not in order. It does not require to be 
seconded and may be made while another 
member has the floor. It cannot foe 
debated or amended, or have any other 
Subsidiary Question appHed to it. When 
an objection is moved it is worded as 
follows: *' I object to the consideration 
of the question . ' ' The Chair immediately 
puts the question to vote, but as allmotions 
must be in the affirmative, he says, " All 
those in favor of the consideration of the 
question will say aye.'' A majority vote 
either affirmative or negative causes the 
objection to be lost. A two-thirds negative 
vote sustains the objection and dismisses 
the consideration of the motion objected 
to for that session. A negative vote on 
this motion may be reconsidered but not 
an affirmative vote. If the objection is 
sustained the whole matter is dismissed 
for that session; if the objection is lost 
the question is at once discussed. The 
motion is not used to cut off debate, but 
to avoid the discussion of questions 
which promise to create contention, or 
are irrelevant. 



Parliamentary Procedure 71 

31. Reading of Papers. Any matter 
coming before the assembly for settle- 
ment must be plainly stated before it is 
voted upon. If it is in the form of a 
paper any member may request to have 
it read, or reread, if he is in need of 
further information. If the request is 
plainly to obtain information, the Chair 
should grant it, or sustain the request. 
If, however, a member desires to take up 
the time of the assembly with a speech, 
or a paper that has no part in the Orders 
of the Day, or if a stranger desires to be 
heard on any subject, the consent of the 
house must be obtained. If there is 
one objection to the time being awarded 
to any speaker whose speech or paper is 
not part of the Orders of the Day, it 
must be put to vote. The time at all 
meetings belongs to the assembly and 
can only be allotted with its consent. It 
agrees to carry out the Orders of the 
Day, but nothing further can be intro- 
duced without its consent. 

32. Withdrawal of a Motion. After a 
motion has been repeated by the Chair 
it becomes the question before the 



72 The Parliamentarian 

house and can only be withdrawn by 
the consent of the house. If the mover 
of the motion desires to withdraw his 
motion, he may ask the Chair if he will 
be permitted to do so. The Chair at 
once puts the question to the house as 

follows : * * If there is no objection Mr 

will be permitted to withdraw his mo- 
tion." If there is an objection, then 
the question of withdrawal must be put 
to vote. This motion cannot be de- 
bated or amended. The consent of the 
seconder does not have to be obtained 
specifically. He can object to the with- 
drawal of the motion as can any other 
member of the house. One objection 
necessitates a vote. When a motion 
is withdrawn no mention is made of it 
in the minutes. 

33. Suspension of the Rules. When 
it is desired that any rule governing the 
meeting should be suspended it must be 
moved and seconded and put to vote. 
This motion applies only to standing 
rules. It is never possible to suspend, 
even by unanimous vote, any provision 
of the Constitution or By-Laws. An 



Parliamentary Procedure 73 

assembly may suspend any rule that they 
have seen fit to adopt to facilitate the 
conduct of their meetings by a two- 
thirds vote. This motion is not deba- 
table and cannot be amended, no Sub- 
sidiary Question can be applied to it, a 
vote on it cannot be reconsidered, nor 
can a motion to suspend the rules for 
the same purpose be renewed at the 
same meeting. If a rule exists that 
confers a right on a minority of the 
assembly, said rule cannot be set aside 
except by unanimous consent. The 
form of this motion is, "I move to sus- 
pend the rule for (here state time if 
necessary) which interferes with, etc.," 
here state purpose of desired suspension. 
When assemblies adopt Standing Rules 
it is wise to have them provide for 
their own suspension. 

34. Privileged Questions. These ques- 
tions are very highly privileged be- 
cause they are, as a rule, quickly dis- 
posed of. They take precedence of all 
other questions, and are undebatable 
unless they relate to the rights of the 
assembly or its members. They are: 



74 The Parliamentarian 

To Fix the Time to which the Assem- 
bly shall Adjourn. 
To Adjourn. 

Question Relating to Rights and Priv- 
ileges of the Assembly or its Members. 
Call for the Orders of the Day. 

35. To Fix the Time to which the 
Assembly shall Adjourn. This motion 
is very highly privileged and takes pre- 
cedence of all other motions. It may be 
made when a motion to Adjourn is 
before the house, provided the result of 
the vote on the motion to Adjourn has 
not been announced. If it is made 
when another motion is before the house 
it is undebatable. If no other motion 
is before the house it is debatable. It 
may be amended by altering the time. 
The form of the motion is, "I move that 
the assembly adjourn to meet at — " 
(here state time). Another form is, "I 
move that when this assembly adjourns, 
it adjourns to meet at — " (here state 
time). 

36. To Adjourn. This motion takes 
precedence of all motions except the 



Parliamentary Procedure 75 

motion To Fix the Time to which the 
Assembly shall Adjotirn. It is not 
debatable and cannot be amended, al- 
though the preceding motion may be 
substituted for it. No Subsidiary Ques- 
tion can be applied to it nor can a vote 
on it be reconsidered. If it is qualified 
in any way it loses its privileged charac- 
ter, and stands on the same footing as 
any Main Question. If it were moved 
that the assembly should adjourn after 
the program were completed the motion 
would be qualified and would therefore 
admit of debate and lose its privileged 
character. When a motion to Adjourn 
is carried before the business of the 
meeting is concluded, the business thus 
interrupted is the first thing in order 
after the reading of the minutes at the 
next meeting. An adjourned meeting 
is legally the continuation of the meet- 
ing of which it is an adjournment. 
When a meeting is adjourned before 
the business before it is finished, and 
that meeting closes the session, the 
unfinished business may be introduced 
at the next session as new business on 
the same footing as if it had never been 



76 The Parliamentarian 

before the assembly. A motion to 
Adjourn cannot be made when another 
has the floor, nor can it be introduced 
when a vote is being taken ; but it is in 
order after the vote on any motion has 
been taken and before the result of the 
vote is announced. A motion to Ad- 
journ may be renewed provided there 
has been intervening business, as can 
any motion other than a Main Motion. 

37. Questions of Privilege. Questions 
relating to the rights and privileges of 
the assembly or its members, are called 
Questions of Privilege. These are in 
order at any time that a member can 
obtain the floor, and take precedence of 
all other questions excepting the mo- 
tions to Fix the Time to Adjourn, and 
To Adjourn. When a Question of 
Privilege is stated the Chair at once 
decides whether it is a Question of 
Privilege or not. From his decision 
any two members may appeal. If the 
question is one requiring immediate 
action, it can interrupt a- member's 
speech. When a member desires to pre- 
sent a Question of Privilege, and has 



Parliamentary Procedure 77 

obtained the floor, he says, "I rise to a 
Question of Privilege." The Chair re- 
quests him to state his question and 
then decides what shall be done with it. 
If the question is admitted, it may be 
decided at once by the Chair, or it may 
be debated; the character of the ques- 
tion would decide these points. A Ques- 
tion of Privilege, when debatable, may be 
laid on the table, referred to a committee, 
or have any other Subsidiary Question 
applied to it. In such a case the effect 
of the Subsidiary Question is exhausted 
on the Question of Privilege, without 
affecting any other question which may 
have been interrupted by the Question 
of Privilege. When some decision has 
been reached in regard to the Question of 
Privilege, the assembly resumes the con- 
sideration of the question which it inter- 
rupted. This motion must not be con- 
fused with Privileged Questions (see 73), 
the latter include this motion and sev- 
eral more. Questions of Privilege which 
involve the rights of the assembly take 
precedence over those that simply in- 
volve the rights of a member of the 
assembly. 



78 The Parliamentarian 

^S. Orders of the Day. The order of 
business or program, which an assembly- 
has agreed to carry out, becomes the 
Order of the Day. If the presiding offi- 
cer allows them to be set aside any 
member may call for the Orders of the 
Day or, in other words, ask that the order 
of business agreed upon be carried out. 
This motion does not require to be 
seconded. A call for the Orders of the 
Day' takes precedence of all other ques- 
tions, excepting to Reconsider, to Fix 
the Time to which the Assembly shall 
Adjourn, to Adjourn, and Questions of 
Privilege. It is undebatable, cannot be 
amended, and is in order when another 
member has the floor. Orders of the 
Day are divided into two classes, Special 
Orders, and General Orders. A regular 
Order of business would come under the 
head of a Special Order, and a call for 
the carrying out of the regular Order of 
business would take precedence over a 
call for the General Orders. These last 
refer to questions, the consideration of 
which have been deferred until a certain 
time, or to the carrying out of a pro- 



Parliamentary Procedure 79 

gram. General Orders cannot interfere 
with the established rules of the assem- 
bly. It is customary for every club or 
society to adopt a regular order of 
business, and this would come under the 
head of Special Orders. A program 
that a club or society may adopt which 
calls for the reading of papers, or some 
other form of entertainment, would 
come under the head of General Orders. 
Both Special and General Orders are 
included in this motion, and if the Orders 
of the Day are called it simply means 
that the member wants the business 
which is in order at the time the call is 
made to be brought before the assembly. 
As has been previously stated, the time 
of the assembly cannot be taken up, 
excepting in such a manner as it has 
previously agreed upon, without its 
consent. The proper form of this mo- 
tion is, "I call for the Orders of the 
Day." In this, as in all cases, the floor 
must first be obtained. The motion is 
put as follows: "Shall the Orders of the 
Day be taken up ? " or " Will the assembly 
now proceed to the Orders of the Day? 



8o The Parliamentarian 

Those in favor will say aye. Those op- 
posed will say no." If the assembly 
is carrying out a program that specifies 
the hour at which each question shall 
be considered, it is not always necessary 
to put the motion to vote, as the Chair 
may take it for granted that the assem- 
bly desires to abide by their program. 
One objection would, however, necessi- 
tate a vote. The effect of this motion 
is to remove the question under consid- 
eration from before the assembly as if 
it had been interrupted by an adjourn- 
ment. A two-thirds vote of the assembly 
can set aside the orders of the Day until 
the miatter under discussion is disposed of. 

39. Miscellaneous Motions. The Mis- 
cellaneous Motions are motions that 
refer to action already taken, and are 
introduced with a view to set aside or 
modify said action. They are: 

Rescind. 

Renewal of a Motion. 

Reconsider. 

40. Rescind. When an assembly de- 
sires to withdraw from some course of 
action they have decided to pursue, and 



Parliamentary Procedure . 8i 

it is too late to Reconsider, the only- 
alternative is to Rescind. This motion 
has no privilege, but stands on the same 
footing as a new motion. Any action 
that involves the society in a contract 
with an innocent third party cannot be 
rescinded without his consent. A mo- 
tion may be rescinded regardless of the 
time that has elapsed. When it is de- 
sired not only to Rescind an action, but 
to express very strong disapproval, the 
assembly may vote to Rescind the action 
and have it expunged from the minutes . 
If this is carried, a line is drawn around 
or through the record of the action 
taken in the minutes, and across this 
record is written, "Expunged by order 
of the assembly." The form of this 
motion is: "I move that (here state 
action) be rescinded." When this mo- 
tion is carried the action is annulled. 
Any action that has been partially car- 
ried out cannot be Rescinded.* 

41. Renew. A Main Question, or 
Main Motion, may not come before the 
assembl^^ more than once in the course 

* See Appendix. 



82 The Parliamentarian 

of a session, and when a motion to Re- 
consider a Main Question has been 
once acted upon, the Motion to Recon- 
sider that same question cannot be 
renewed unless the motion was amended 
when it was reconsidered. All other 
motions can be renewed provided 
other business has intervened. To this 
rule there are some exceptions. A call 
for the Orders of the Day cannot be 
renewed on the same order, nor can the 
Suspension of the Rules be renewed on 
the same rule, the motion to Amend 
cannot be renewed. A motion that has 
been withdrawn may be renewed because 
it has never been acted upon. To illus- 
trate: If a Main Question is being dis- 
cussed, and it is moved that it shall be 
laid on the table, and the motion is lost, 
the motion to Lay on the Table may be 
renewed provided other business has 
intervened. In the same way any motion 
not a Main Motion may be renewed. The 
exceptions to this rule are noted above. 

42. Reconsider. This motion is high- 
ly privileged and is in order even 
another member has the floor. It 



Parliamentary Procedure 83 

must be moved on the day the motion 
was acted upon that the reconsideration 
refers to, or the day after. It must be 
made, unless the vote was by ballot, by a 
member who voted upon the prevailing 
side. No question can be twice recon- 
sidered unless it was amended after the 
first reconsideration. If a motion has 
been amended it is not in order to move 
a reconsideration of the vote on the 
amendment until the original motion 
has been reconsidered. If the Previous 
Question has been partly executed, it 
cannot be reconsidered. If the assem- 
bly has taken action that cannot be 
reversed as a result of a vote on some 
question, that question cannot be recon- 
sidered. The motion is debatable just 
so far as the question reconsidered is 
debatable. The Previous Question may 
be applied to the motion to Reconsider, 
but its effect is exhausted on that 
motion and does not effect the motion 
which it is desired to reconsider. It may 
be laid on the table without carrying 
the pending measure with it. When a 
member who has voted upon the pre- 
vailing side desires to move a reconsid- 



84 The Parliamentarian 

eration he rises, and after he has ob- 
tained the floor, says, "I move to 
Reconsider the vote on — " (here state 
the question to be reconsidered). The 
member may rise and move the recon- 
sideration while another member has 
the floor, and it is entered on the min- 
utes. When the business before the 
house, at the time the reconsideration 
was moved, is terminated, the recon- 
sideration may be called up and acted 
upon. The effect of making this motion 
is to suspend all action on the original 
motion until the reconsideration is acted 
upon. It may be called up at the same 
meeting at which it was made, or at any 
meeting during the session.* 

If it is not called up its effect termi- 
nates with the session. When a motion 
to Reconsider is carried it opens up the 
entire question as if there had been no 
previous action. When a question 
comes up for reconsideration no one 
who discussed the question when the 
first vote was taken may speak when 
it is reconsidered. His only redress is 
to speak when the question as to 

* See Appendix. 



Parliamentary Procedure 85 

whether it shall be reconsidered is being 
discussed. This motion, if carried, re- 
quires two votes to arrive at the ter- 
mination of its effect. First the vote is 
taken on the reconsideration, and if that 
is decided upon, the question reconsid- 
ered must be discussed and voted upon. 
As has been stated, the reconsideration 
of a question may be moved and entered 
in the minutes on the day the motion it 
is desired to reconsider was passed, or 
the next day. It is possible to call it up 
on that day or leave it to be called up at 
some future meeting, but its effect does 
not extend beyond the session. To this 
rule there are two exceptions: the re- 
consideration of an Incidental, or Sub- 
sidiary, Question shall be immediately 
acted upon, as otherwise it would pre- 
vent action on the Main Question. 
Votes on the following motions cannot 
be reconsidered: Lay on the Table or 
Take from the Table; Suspension of the 
Rules; Take a Recess; and Reconsider. 
Affirmative votes cannot be reconsidered 
on motions To amend, Repeal, or 
Adopt Constitution or By-laws, or Order 
of the Day. 



86 The Parliamentarian 

43. Committees. Parliamentary Law 
provides for three kinds of committees: 

1 . The Committee of the Whole. 

2. The Standing Committee. 

3. The Special Committee. 
Committees are as a rule created under 

the Subsidiary Motion to Commit, but 
Standing Committees are often created 
under the requirements of a constitution. 
A committee is always subordinate to. the 
body that appoints it, and to whom it re- 
ports. Its powers are defined by the mo- 
tion that appoints it and it can take no 
independent action. It is therefore mani- 
fest that there is something illogical and 
misleading in vesting a committee with 
executive powers. A club or society 
should be governed by an Executive or 
Governing Board, not a Committee. All 
committees render a report. The Com- 
mittee of the Whole generally reports 
verbally. Standing Committees report 
in writing at the annual meeting. Spe- 
cial Committees report at the will of the 
house. A committee is a miniature as- 
sembly appointed to special well-defined 
work, it must meet in order to take action. 



Parliamentary Procedure 87 

44. Committee of the Whole. When 
an assembly desires to discuss freely a 
subject that they do not care to refer to 
a committee, and yet wish to put in 
proper form for definite action, it is the 
practice to refer the matter to the 
"Committee of the Whole." The form 
of the motion is, "I move that the (here 
state name of the club, or simply say 
assembly) do now resolve itself into a 
Committee of the Whole, to take under 
consideration," etc. (here state purpose). 
This committee is a committee of the 
whole house, hence its name. When the 
above motion is moved, seconded and 
carried, the President immediately names 
one of the members of the house, and 
requests him to serve as Chairman of the 
Committee of the Whole. A chair is pro- 
vided for the Chairman of the Committee 
of the Whole. The President takes his 
place as a member of the Committee and 
may, or may not, leave his chair, as he 
thinks best, but no one should ever 
occupy the chair of the presiding officer 
when he is present. In large assemblies 
the Chairman of the Committee of the 



88 The Parliamentarian 

Whole occupies the chair of the Record- 
ing Secretary. The Recording Secre- 
tary takes such notes of the proceedings 
as may seem necessary for the report. 
Each member may speak as often as he 
can obtain the floor. The only motions 
in order are to Recommend, which must 
be introduced as a Main Motion, to 
Amend, and to Adopt. If an appeal 
from the Chair is moved the Subsidiary 
Questions, to Lay on the Table, and the 
Previous Question, can be applied to it. 
The only way to limit debate in the 
Committee of the Whole is to insert a 
time limit in the motion that appoints it. 
When such a time limit is inserted, the 
Committee cannot extend it. It cannot 
alter the text of the resolution referred 
to it for consideration. It can recom- 
mend alterations, which, if carried, are 
embodied in its report. When it has 
sufficiently discussed the subject before 
it, a motion is in order to the effect 
"That the Committee do now rise and 
report." When this motion is carried 
the presiding officer at once takes the 
Chair, and calls for the report of the 



Parliamentary Procedure 89 

Committee of the Whole, which is ren- 
dered by the Chairman. This report 
should be as follows, "The Committee of 
the Whole has had under consideration 
the question submitted to it (here state 
question), and has come to no conclu- 
sion;" or, if a conclusion has been 
reached, the chairman says, "The Com- 
mittee of the Whole has had under con- 
sideration the question submitted to it 
(here state question), and recommends, 
that the action be taken, report be 
adopted, motion be passed," with or 
without amendment, as the case may be. 
The report of the Committee of the 
Whole, as the report of every committee 
expresses what in its judgment had 
best be done in regard to the question 
at issue. Its report, if adopted, becomes 
the will of the assembly (see 96). 
Should the Committee of the Whole 
become disorderly, and the Chairman 
be unable to preserve order, the presid- 
ing officer can take the chair and declare 
the Committee dissolved. The Com- 
mittee of the Whole cannot refer the 
subject before them to another com- 



Qo The Parliamentarian 

mittee. The quorum of the Committee 
of the Whole is the same as that of the 
Assembly; if the Committee finds itself 
without a quorum, it must rise and re- 
port the fact to the assembly, which in 
such an event would have to adjourn. 
The report of the Committee of the 
Whole is recorded in the minutes, but 
its proceedings are not. It is generally 
wise to state in the motion appointing 
this committee the time over which it 
shall extend. While any member may 
speak as often as he can obtain the floor, 
and as long each time as is allowed 
speakers in the discussions of the assem- 
bly, if any one who has not spoken de- 
sires the floor, he must be recognized 
by the Chair before one who has already 
spoken on the point under discussion. 
Unless so stated in the motion, visitors 
have no right to speak in the Committee 
of the Whole, and it is apparent that it 
would often be out of order to include 
them. 

45. Standing Committees. Standing 
Committees may be appointed at any 



Parliamentary Procedure 91 

time by motion, but are often appointed 
under the requirements of a constitution. 
To them are referred all matters relating 
to the subjects within their scope. An 
opportunity should be given at every 
regular meeting to the chairmen of the 
Standing Committees to inform the 
society as to the progress of their work. 
Standing Committees report at the 
annual meeting and are disbanded. 
They are usually appointed at the be- 
ginning of the session, and are placed in 
charge of work that extends through the 
session, as a printing committee, enter- 
tainment committee-, etc. 

46. Special Committees. It is usual 
and proper that much of the work of 
deliberative bodies be transacted by 
means of committees. The Standing 
Committee is a good medium for the 
transaction of routine business, but for 
the investigation of matters that come 
up in the assembly, where time is lim- 
ited, the Special Committee is a most 
valuable agent. This Committee is ap- 
pointed under the Subsidiary Motion to 



92 The Parliamentarian 

Commit. Its numbers and powers are 
defined by the assembly; it meets at 
the call of the chairman and only acts as 
it meets. All action of a committee 
must be taken at a regular meeting duly 
called. No action can be taken by 
members who did not meet. The con- 
sent of all individually without a meet- 
ing will not render valid any action. 
Unless otherwise provided for, a quorum 
is a majority. The Chairman of a com- 
mittee is usually named by the assembly 
or the Chair, but if no Chairman is desig- 
nated, the Committee is at liberty to 
select its own Chairman. As has been 
stated, the member first named usually 
acts as Chairman ; the member who made 
the motion for the appointment of the 
committee is not by parliamentary law 
entitled any more than any other mem- 
ber to be Chairman, or even a member of 
the Committee. It is of course true 
that a member making a motion to have 
a committee appointed for a special 
object might naturally be supposed to 
be more interested in that object, and 
he is often the best choice for Chairman ; 



Parliamentary Procedure 93 

but there is no rule that makes his ap- 
pointment obligatory. A committee 
must be furnished with all papers or 
other matter that may assist it in its 
work. Its report should be in the shape 
of a set of resolutions. These must be 
signed by the Chairman and, if possible, 
by all the members. If a Chairman 
summons his committee together on 
two different occasions, without being 
able to secure a quorum, and it is neces- 
sary to render a report at a special date, 
the Chairman may have the report drawn 
up but must state in it the fact that a 
quorum was not obtained and leave the 
assembly to decide as to whether they 
will accept such a report, or have the 
matter Recommitted. Any money col- 
lected by a committee belongs to the 
parent body by whom the committee was 
created. A vote may be reconsidered 
in a committee regardless of the time 
which may have elapsed between the 
taking of the vote and the motion to 
Reconsider, provided every member 
who voted on the prevailing side is pres- 
ent when the reconsideration is moved. 



94 The Parliamentarian 

Under the rules of procedure in England 
a vote taken in a committee cannot be 
reconsidered. If the decision of the 
Chair is appealed from, the appeal may 
be laid on the table and the Previous 
Question may be applied to it. When a 
committee adjourns to meet at a certain 
time, it is not necessary to notify the 
absent members, but it is more cour- 
teous. If the work requires it, a com- 
mittee may appoint a sub-committee. A 
committee adopts its own report by vote 
and may amend it. All reports must be 
considered paragraph by paragraph and 
then adopted as a whole. The preamble 
is considered last. All papers sub- 
mitted to a committee must be returned 
intact. If a chairman neglects to call 
the committee together it is the duty of 
one or two of the members to do so. 

47. Reports of Committees. All com- 
mittees should render a report in the 
shape of a set of resolutions. If it is a 
Standing Committee, their report begins, 

' ' The committee on respectfully 

report," or "beg leave to report." 



Parliamentary Procedure 95 

The report of a Special Committee 
differs slightly from this. It should 
begin, "The committee to which was 

referred having considered the 

same respectfully report as follows," 
or, "The undersigned, a committee to 
which was referred," etc. The report 
must be signed by the Chairman and, if 
possible, by all the members. When a 
committee disagrees as to the nature of 
its report, the minority may draw up a 
report. The report of the majority has 
a right to come before the assembly, the 
report of the minority is received by 
courtesy. When a minority report is 
submitted it should be in this form: 
"The undersigned, a minority of a com- 
mittee to which was referred," etc. 
Reports sometimes conclude with, ''All 
of which is respectfully submitted." 
This is not obligatory. Reports should 
always be headed as follows, "Report 
of the (here state name) Committee on 
(here state subject). As "The Report 
of the Program Committee on Pro- 
gram." "Report of House Committee 
on cost of Refurnishing the Assembly 



96 The Parliamentarian 

Hall/' A committee may he able to 
embody its report in one resolution, A 
committee's report should generally 
close with a formal resolution covering 
all its recommendations, so that the 
adoption of its report would have the 
efifect of adopting the resolution neces- 
sary to carry out its recommendations. 

48. Reception of Reports. When an 
assembly has instructed a committee to 
report at a certain time its report be- 
comes part of the Orders of the Day. At 
the proper moment the Chair calls for 
the report, and if there is no objection 
it is read. Any one having very valid 
grounds for objecting to the reception of 
the report, can move that its reception 
be deferred, but this is not in order 
unless the ground upon which the objec- 
tion is based makes it appear most inex- 
pedient to receive the report at that time. 
If there is no objection the chairman of 
the committee reads the report, and 
when it is read it is received. A com- 
mon error is to move to receive a report 
after it is read. When a report has been 



Parliamentary Procedure 97 

received, whether it has been read or 
not, the committee is dissolved, and can 
act no more. If the committee is re- 
appointed and the report recommitted, 
all the parts that have not been agreed 
to by the assembly are ignored by the 
committee as if the report had never been 
made. If any of the members of the 
committee wish to submit a minority 
report, it is customary to receive it imme- 
diately after receiving the report of the 
committee. When the committee's re- 
port is only for the information of the 
assembly, it is not necessary to take any 
action on it after it is read. When a 
report that requires action is read, a 
motion should be made, to "adopt," 
"accept," or "agree to," the report, all 
of which, when carried, has the effect of 
making the doings of the com^mittee 
the acts of the assembly, the same as 
if the action had been taken by the 
assembly without the intervention of a 
committee. When a report calls for 
action the motion to "adopt" is used; 
if it merely contains a statement of 
facts, the motion to "accept" would be 



98 The Parliamentarian 

in order; and if the report ends with a 
resolution the proper motion is, "I 
move to agree to the resolution." The 
first of these motions is most generally 
used. As soon as any of these motions 
are made the report is open to discussion 
and may be amended. To illustrate: 
After a report has been read in which 
actio;n is recommended, the chairman 
of the committee should move: "I move 
that the report of (state name of com- 
mittee) be adopted." When that mo- 
tion is repeated by the Chair the report 
is open for discussion, and may be 
amended. If the report is amended, 
the words " as amended " should be 
added v/hen the motion to adopt is put 
to vote.* When a report is read which 
seems to require careful consideration 
and probable amendment, a motion 
may be made that the report be con- 
sidered, and if that motion is carried 
the report comes before the house for 
consideration, and after it has been 
discussed, it is in order to adopt or 
accept the report, as the case may be. 

* See Appendix, 



Parliamentary Procedure 99 

When a committee reports back a reso- 
lution which has been referred to it, the 
Chair should call attention to the fact 
that the question is on the adoption of 
the resolution. The committee may or 
may not recommend the adoption of 
the resolution, but the question should 
be stated as above. If the committee 
recommends that the resolution be 
indefinitely postponed, the question 
would be on the postponement; possi- 
bly the committee recommends an 
amendment to the resolution. The 
point to be remembered is that the ques- 
tion to be decided consists of what the 
committee recommends in regard to the 
resolution. It is proper for a member of 
a committee to make the motion which 
brings the report before the house. 

When a committee submits a report 
containing a number of paragraphs or 
sections as a Constitution and By- 
Laws, the whole report should be read 
through and be brought before the 
house by motion when it is considered, 
paragraph by paragraph or article by 
article, and voted upon as a whole. 



loo The Parliamentarian 

(See 21.) The chairman of a committee 
cannot in any way be deprived of his 
right to close the discussion on his report. 

49. Nominating Committee. In many 
societies it is customary to have the 
names of candidates or nominees for the 
offices to be filled at the annual election, 
presented to the club in the form of a 
report of a Nominating Committee. 
This committee is appointed to ascer- 
tain the choice of the majority of the 
members at large, and present as its 
report, a ticket composed of that choice. 
If, in order to ascertain the choice of the 
members, nominating blanks are sent 
out to be filled in with the names of the 
candidates preferred, it should be re- 
membered that some system of identifi- 
cation must be agreed upon in regard to 
these blanks, which shall make it possi- 
ble for the nominating committee to 
positively assert that the names of the 
candidates presented in their report are 
the choice of those members properly 
qualified to choose. If nominating 
blanks are returned to the nominating 



Parliamentary Procedure ioi 

committee without identification they 
should be treated as anonymous com- 
munications. 

When the report of a Nominating 
Committee comes before a society, it 
should first be read through, and if 
amended, each office should be consid- 
ered separately, and then voted upon as 
a whole (see 21). In the first part of 
this work the method of nominating 
from the floor is explained. Nomina- 
tions from the floor are in order up to 
the time the vote is taken or polls are 
open, unless the assembly sees fit to 
vote "That nominations shall now be 
closed." It is unwise to crowd a ticket 
with too many nominees. The report 
of a Nominating Committee is not a 
ballot and cannot be used as such. * 

50. Informal Consideration of the 
Question. The assembly may at any 
time consider a question informally. 
The Chair may state that if there is no 
objection the question will be consid- 
ered informally. One objection neces- 

* See Appendix. 



102 The Parliamentarian 

sitates a vote. When the Chair sees 
that the house desires to discuss the 
question before it at greater length 
and with more freedom than is possible 
under the rules of an ordinary consid- 
eration, he should suggest the Informal 
Consideration. An Informal Considera- 
tion of a Question allows every member 
to speak as often as he can obtain the 
floor. The only motions in order are to 
"Amend," and "Adopt." When either 
of these motions is carried some formal 
action of the assembly becomes neces- 
sary after the Informal Consideration 
has closed. In that case the Chair 
reports to the assembly as follows, "The 
assembly acting informally has had such 
subject under consideration, and recom- 
mends the following amendments . ' ' The 
introduction of any motion other than 
to adopt and amend closes the Informal 
Consideration. This form of procedure 
is sometimes preferred to that of the 
Committee of the Whole, 

51. Decorum. It is the duty of the 
presiding officer to preserve the dignity 



Parliamentary Procedure 103 

of the meeting and enforce the observ- 
ance of parliamentary procedure. In 
discussions, the floor should be accorded 
to the affirmative and negative in turn — 
first a pro, then a con. No member can 
be accorded the floor more than once 
unless by the consent of the house, and 
then only in the event that no one else 
desired the floor. The members when 
speaking must avoid personal language 
and never refer to other members by 
name. The Chair must always be 
spoken of as "the Chair," or "the Presi- 
dent.'' The member whose motion is 
before the house has the first right to the 
floor to open the discussion. The maker 
of a motion may vote against his own 
motion, but he may not speak against 
it. The Chairman cannot close the dis- 
cussion as long as any one desires to be 
heard, and even after the affirmative 
vote on a question has been taken, pro- 
vided the negative has not been put, a 
member has a right to claim the floor 
and speak or introduce a motion. If the 
Chair considers the discussion has been 
sufficiently prolonged, he may ask the 



I04 The Parliamentarian 

assembly if they are ready for the ques- 
tion, and if there is no objection, the 
vote may be put. 

52. Debatable Questions. The follow- 
ing questions shall be decided without 
debate, all others being debatable : (The 
English parliamentary law makes all 
motions debatable, unless there is a 
rule adopted limiting debate; but every 
assembly is obliged to restrict debate 
upon certain motions.) To Fix the 
Time to Which the Assembly Shall 
Adjourn (when a Privileged Question 
see 74.) 

To Adjourn, in Committee, To Rise 
(see 74). 

Orders of the Day (see 78). 

Suspension of the Rules (see 72). 

An Appeal (67), unless the Chair 
throws it open for discussion. 

Objection to the Consideration of the 
Question (69). 

To Lay on the Table, or take from the 
Table (47). 

The Previous Question (50). 



Parliamentary Procedure 105 

To Reconsider a Question which is 

itself undebatable (82). 
Reading of Papers (70). 
Withdrawal of a Motion (71). 

53. Motions that Open to Discussion 
the Entire Merits of the Main Question. 

To Ratify (59). 

To Postpone Indefinitely (65). 

To Rescind (80). 

To Reconsider a Debatable Question 

(82). 

Chairmen should remember that ask- 
ing questions is not discussing. A mem- 
ber may rise and ask a question in regard 
to an undebatable question, and a 
member may rise and ask a question 
in regard to a debatable question without 
forfeiting his right to speak to the ques- 
tion. 

54. Motions Which Are Used to Close 
Debate. The discussion upon any ques- 
tion before the assembly may be closed 
by the use of the following Motions. 
They are undebatable, and with the 
exception of to Lay on the Table, re- 



io6 The Parliamentarian 

quire a two-thirds vote for their adop- 
tion. An Objection to the Considera- 
tion of the Question (69). This is 
allowed only when the question is first 
given the assembly, and if sustained, 
not only stops all discussion but pre- 
vents the question being brought up 
again during the session. 

To Lay on the Table (47). If adopted 
this motion removes the question from 
before the assembly and carries it to the 
table, from which it can only be taken 
by a majority vote. 

The Previous Question (50). If 
adopted, this motion closes debate and 
brings pending business before the 
assembly to an immediate vote. 

An assembly may adopt an order 
limiting debate on any subject before 
it. This order may specify the number 
and length of the speeches, and the time 
when the question under discussion shall 
be put to vote. 

55. Various Methods of Voting. When 
a question is put to vote the ordinary 
method is to say "As many as are in 



Parliamentary Procedure 107 

favor say aye," and after the affirmative 
has been taken, "As many as are op- 
posed say no; or simply, "Those 
opposed no." This is called taking a 
vote by acclamation, and the result is 
often uncertain, and seems sometimes 
to be decided more on noise than on 
numbers. Another method of voting 
is by asking those in favor to raise their 
right hand, and those opposed their left 
hand. A standing vote is often taken. 
First those voting in the affirmative 
are requested to stand and then those 
voting in the negative. Sometimes the 
house is divided, all those voting in the 
affirmative going to the right side of 
the room, those voting in the negative 
to the left. In the last three methods 
the vote must be counted by the Record- 
ing Secretary. A majority vote, that is 
a majority of the votes cast, ignoring 
blanks, is sufficient for the adoption of 
any motion except those requiring a 
two-thirds vote. When a vote is taken 
the Chairman must always announce 
the result and declare that it is carried 
or lost. No vote is taken unless the 



io8 The Parliamentarian 

aye and noes are both called for. If the 
result of a vote is questioiK^d by any 
member, a rising vote must be taken. 
Any member has a right to ask that 
the vote be counted. This result is 
accomplished by taking a rising vote. 
A member has a right to change his 
vote (when not made by ballot) before 
the Chair has announced the result of 
the vote. No one can vote on a question 
affecting himself, but if more than one 
name is included in a resolution all are 
entitled to vote. When there is a tie 
vote the motion is lost unless the Chair 
throws a vote for the affirmative. If his 
vote in the negative will make a tie he 
can throw it and so defeat the measure. 
If the Chair votes as a member of the 
assembly, he forfeits the privilege of 
throwing the casting vote. If any mem- 
bers present do not vote when the ques- 
tion is put, the Chair may inform the 
assembly that another vote will be 
taken when he desires every member to 
vote. In that event the question should 
be put by a rising vote, and all who do 
not vote can be counted m the affirma- 



Parliamentary Procedure 109 

tive. If any member desires to with- 
hold his vote he can ask permission of the 
Chair to do so. From the decision of the 
Chair on this point, there is no appeal. 
The assembly can, by a majority vote, 
order that the vote on any question be 
taken by Yeas and Nays. When this 
method is pursued the Chairman states 
both sides of the question at once, as 
follows: "As many as are in favor of the 
adoption of this resolution will, when 
their names are called, answer yes; 
those opposed will answer no.'^' The 
Recording Secretary then calls the roll, 
and each member, as his name is called, 
rises and answers yes or no. The Re- 
cording Secretary writes down this an- 
swer opposite the name of the member. 
Upon the completion of the roll call the 
Recording Secretary reads over the 
names of those who voted in the affirma- 
tive, and afterwards those who voted in 
the negative, that mistakes may be cor- 
rected. He then gives the number of 
votes cast on each side to the Chairman, 
who announces the result. After the 
first name has been called it is too late to 



no The Parliamentarian 

ask to be excused from voting. The vote 
on roll call cannot be interrupted for any 
purpose whatever. Taking the vote by 
yeas and nays is peculiar to the United 
States, it has the effect of placing on 
record the manner in which each member 
votes. Another form of voting is by 
ballot. This method is adopted only 
when required by the Constitution and 
By-laws or ordered by the assembly. 
When a vote is taken by ballot the chair- 
man appoints at least two inspectors, 
who distribute the ballots and count 
them. The Inspectors have charge of 
the ballot box and must see that no one 
deposits a vote in it who is not entitled 
to do so. When a vote is taken by 
ballot and a reconsideration is moved, it 
is not possible to ask the mover if he 
voted on the prevailing side. 

All elections should be by ballot. The 
Annual meeting is the proper time to 
hold an election. When an election is 
held the ballot box should be placed in a 
room by itself in charge of the Inspectors 
of election. If the society is small, two 
inspectors are sufficient; if large, four 



Parliamentary Procedure hi 

should be appointed. Members should 
enter the room in which the ballot box is 
placed, singly, and deposit their ballots 
in the box. If they desire to mark their 
ballots they must do it personally, and 
use a pencil with a black lead. It is 
customary to use what is called a blanket 
ballot, which is in reality a collection of 
individual ballots printed for conveni- 
ence on one sheet of paper. Conse- 
quently each separate office on that 
blanket ballot must be regarded by the 
Inspectors as a separate ballot. When 
the ballots are counted the Inspectors 
count all ballots upon which the choice 
of the elector can be discerned. The 
act of voting consists of placing a cross 
in the voting space at the left of the name 
of the nominee printed on the ballot for 
whom the voter desires to vote. If the 
name for which he desires to vote does 
not appear on the ballot the voter may 
write the name on the blank line provided 
for that purpose; in that case no cross is 
needed. The Inspector must see that 
all votes cast are counted. The eligi- 
bility of a candidate to hold office does 



112 The Parliamentarian 

not concern the Inspector. When the 
report of the Inspectors is rendered 
they first state the whole number of 
votes cast and then give the number for 
each office. The candidate receiving 
the lowest number of votes is mentioned 
first. Blank ballots are counted. After 
the report of the Inspectors of elec- 
tion has been read, it must be acted 
upon. If it is satisfactory it should be 
accepted. When a motion to accept 
the report is carried, the result of the 
election is accepted, the Chair states that 
fact and announces the names of the 
candidates elected to office. It is then 
that the election is consummated. 

When several people are nominated to 
serve on a committee or for any other 
purpose and a choice must be made, it is 
customary to decide by the filling of 
blanks. The Chair instructs the Re- 
cording Secretary to distribute the blanks, 
collect them, count them, and state 
the result. The result is announced 
by the Chairman simply saying that 
such a person received the largest 
number of votes. If any member ob- 



Parliamentary Procedure 113 

jects to the Recording Secretary tak- 
ing charge of the blanks, the Chair 
must appoint two Inspectors. All elec- 
tions must be conducted under the Elec- 
tion Law of the State. The system 
sometimes pursued of moving that the 
Recording Secretary shall cast a vote to 
elect, is illegal and should never be per- 
mitted. It is an election by default. 
One objection will put an end to any 
such course of action. After the result 
of an election is declared and accepted 
by vote, and the President has announced 
the names of those elected, a motion 
may be introduced to the effect that the 
election be declared unanimous. This is 
a courtesy motion and means nothing. 

The Chairman of the inspectors must 
move the adoption of the report of the 
inspectors. A plurality vote must elect. 

The ballots must be sealed up and kept 
for at least thirty days. Any one who 
takes part in an election can ask for a 
recount and it must be granted. In any 
society which provides for the payment 
of dues only such members as have paid 
their dues for the current year are eligible 



114 The Parliamentarian 

to participate in the election. No others 
can be nominated, receive nominations, 
or vote. 

56. Motions Classified According to 
Their Object. 

(i) To Modify and Amend. 
To Amend (59). 
To Commit or Refer (55). 

(2) To Defer Action. 

Postpone to a Certain Time (54). 
Lay on the Table (47). 

(3) To Suppress Debate. 
Previous Question (50). 

An Order Limiting Debate (53). 

(4) To Suppress the Question. 
Objection to the Consideration of 

the Question (69). 
Postpone Indefinitely (65). 
Lay on the Table (47). 

(5) To Consider a Question the Second 

Time. 
Reconsider (82). 

(6) Order and Rules. 
Orders of the Day (78). 
Suspension of the Rules (72). 



Parliamentary Procedure 115 
Questions of Order and Appeal 

(67). 

(7) Miscellaneous. 
Reading of Papers (70). 
Withdrawal of a Motion (71). 
Questions of Privilege (76). 

(8) To Close a Meeting. 

To Fix the Time to which to 

Adjourn (74). 
To Adjourn (74). 

57. Government of Clubs and Societies. 

All Clubs, Societies, and Corporations 
are governed by a Board of Directors, 
Trastees, Managers, or Governors elected 
for that purpose. 

When a Society is incorporated it is 
customary for the Board to select from 
its own ntimber those who shall serve 
as officers. This is done every year, 
immediately after the election of each 
new Board. 

An Incorporated Society rarely adopts 
a Constitution, the Certificate of Incor- 
poration and the By-laws being deemed 
sufficient. Every member of a Society 
should be supplied with a copy of the 



ii6 The Parliamentarian 

Constitution and By-laws, or the Cer- 
tificate of Incorporation and By-laws, 
as the case may be. 

A person joining a club or society 
agrees to accept and abide by the pro- 
visions of the Constitution and By-laws, 
or Certificate of Incorporation and By- 
laws, as the case may be. 

It is essential that every organization 
shall hold an annual meeting and elect 
at that meeting a certain nimiber, if not 
all, of its governing board. All persons 
elected^ to serve on a Board, or to as- 
sume any official position, are expected to 
acquaint themselves with the duties in- 
volved. To take office when ignorant 
of the duties involved is unfair, to say 
the least, to any organization. 

Proxy voting may be provided for ini 
the By-laws of a membership corpora- 
tion; it is not allowed in a non-incor- 
porated club.* 

At a meeting of a Board of Directors 
only the members of the Board who 
have been legally chosen can be present. 
If an outsider is present it must be 

* See Appendix. 



Parliamentary Procedure 117 

stated that he attends for some special 
purpose, and a unanimous vote must 
be passed authorizing his attendance. 
When the matter in which he is interested 
is disposed of, he leaves the meeting. 
The only exception to this is in the event 
of legal complications when an accused 
person is under some circumstances en- 
titled to have counsel present. 

Nothing that is said at a meeting of 
a Board of Directors should ever be 
repeated. The Society has a right to be 
informed of all that is done at a meeting 
of a Board of Directors, but what is 
said is a privileged communication. 

58. Elections. When an election is 
about to be held the only members 
eligible to participate are those who are 
in good standing. Sometimes the By- 
Laws make provision for a set time for 
pajrment of dues, and after that the 
members are not in good standing, but 
if this is not the case the above rule 
becomes effective. Only members in 
good standing can vote, nominate or 
receive nominations. When a name is 



ii8 The Parliamentarian 

placed in nomination it is the duty of 
the member vouching for the name to 
furnish proof that the name is used with 
the consent of the person named, and 
that the said person will serve if elected 
to fill the office for which his name is 
suggested. 

59. Hints to Chairmen. The order of 
business for an Annual Meeting found on 
page 38 of this book, may be used at an 
Annual Meeting of a Club, Corporation, 
or Church Corporate Meeting. 

The order of business for a Convention 
depends on the kind of Convention held, 
but at all Conventions- the Report of the 
Credential Committee should be ac- 
cepted before any business is acted upon. 

The order of business for a Regular 
Meeting found on page 36 of this book, 
is suitable for Business Meetings of 
Clubs and Societies, Meetings of Boards 
of Directors, or Church Business Meet- 
ings. It may be used for all regular 
meetings other than Annual Meetings. 

The order of business at a Special 
Meeting must be confined to the business 



Parliamentary Procedure 119 

for which the meeting was called, and 
this business must be stated in the notice 
sent out for the meeting. 

The Minutes of a Special Meeting 
should be read before that meeting ad- 
journs. The above is true of the minutes 
of a Convention, or of an Annual Meet- 
ing of a Business or Stock Corporation, 
or the Annual Corporate Meeting of a 
Church. 

When it is desired to confirm some ac- 
tion taken at a meeting at which a quorum 
was not present or if for any reason it is 
desired to place a vote of ratification of 
action previously taken on the minutes, 
the motion To Ratify may be employed. 
The form of this motion is, "I move 
that," (here state the action in question) 
" be ratified." 

Any motion which conflicts with the 
Federal Law, State Law, or with the 
provisions of the Constitution or By-laws 
of the Club, is out of order, and if such 
motion is put to a vote such vote is null 
and void. 

Annual Reports of Officers. The an- 
nual report of the President should deal 



I20 The Parliamentarian 

with the work accomplished by the Club 
during the year. 

The annual report of the Recording 
Secretary should give the number of 
business meetings held by the Club and 
by the Executive Board, and should 
state when quorums were present. If 
any changes have been made in the Con- 
stitution, By-laws, or Standing Rules 
this report should call attention to such 
changes. 

The annual report of the Corresponding 
Secretary should give an acciuate state- 
ment of all classes of membership. It 
should also state the number of resigna- 
tions and the number of members ad- 
mitted. 

The Treasurer's annual report must be 
accompanied by the written attesta- 
tion of the Chairman of the Auditing 
Committee or of a public Auditor. A 
Treasurer's report cannot be adopted, 
unless it has been audited. 



PART TWO 



A Guide to Extemporaneous 
Speaking and the Art 
OF Debate 



A GUIDE TO EXTEMPOEANEOUS 

SPEAKING AND THE ART 

OF DEBATE. 



60. Methods. There are three methods 
by which a common ground of agreement 
is arrived at ; they are the Discussion, the 
Conference, and the Debate. A ready 
command of language and the power 
of speaking with conviction and without 
notes, is essential to success in any of 
them. 

61. Discussion. All business or ques- 
tions of any kind that are brought before 
a club are discussed. In a discussion we 
speak to present our own views and we 
are directly responsible for the views 
presented. It may or may not be a sub- 
ject to which we have given thought. It 
is, in any case, a subject in which we are 
interested and on which we have some 
opinion, We speak, then, for the pur- 



124 The Parliamentarian 

pose of persuading others to adopt our 
opinion and vote with us. It is there- 
fore essential that we should be at one 
and the same time persuasive and non- 
antagonistic. The power of presenting 
an opinion in a clear, concise and logical 
manner is a power that will frequently 
give its possessor the result he aims to 
bring about. 

62. Conference. This is a form of dis- 
cussion which is used when two separate 
organizations desire to arrive at some 
common ground in regard to a question 
of interest to both. When it is desired 
to hold a conference each organization 
appoints representatives who meet to- 
gether and present the points of differ- 
ence held by their respective organiza- 
tions. It may be necessary so materi- 
ally to modify the views held by the dis- 
agreeing bodies as to necessitate the 
holding of more than one conference. 
When a common ground has been agreed 
upon the conference is terminated, even 
if the common ground is a disagreement. 



Extemporaneous Speaking 125 

Proper Motions to be Used in Confer- 
ence. I. To Concur. This motion sig- 
nifies agreement. 2. To Non-concur. 
This motion is the reverse of the first. 
3. To Recede. When the motion to 
non-concur is carried then it is in order 
to consult with the bodies represented at 
the conference, which sometimes has the 
result of a desire on the part of one of 
the bodies to recede from the position 
taken, hence the motion. 4. To Insist. 
If, however, neither are wilHng to recede, 
this motion is in order. 5. To Adhere. 
When either body has decided that it will 
be impossible for them to change their 
views or subscribe to any further com- 
promise, this motion to adhere, is in 
order, 

63. The Debate. In a debate both 
sides of the subject are presented 
and the audience left to draw its own 
conclusions. UnHke the discussion, it is 
not a statement of individual opinions 
but is the presentation of a logical argu- 
ment which may or may not be the opin- 
ion of the speaker, Debate is an art, not 



126 The Parliamentarian 

a science, and a good debater is a man 
of no small intellectual power. We de- 
bate to convince and persuade and we 
take whichever side of the question 
may be assigned to us by the chair- 
man. It is obvious, then, that a good 
debater regards the question from 
a purely impersonal standpoint. The 
power to express views clearly and con- 
vincingly is particularly necessary in a 
debate, 

64. Extemporaneous Speaking. Wheth- 
er we expect to speak in the Discus- 
sion, Conference, or Debate, or aim to 
occupy the platform alone, we need to 
be informed in regard to the rules gov- 
erning extemporaneous speaking. The 
first requisite for a successful public 
speaker is the having something to say. 
Something that people desire to hear. 
Many speakers have a great deal to say 
but it fails to interest their audience and 
so they are not successful. It is, how- 
ever, not enough to be able to present a 
subject in which your audience is inter- 
ested, you must present it in such a way 



Extemporaneous Speaking 127 

that you can be heard. Hardly a pubHc 
meeting takes place where all the speak- 
ers are heard. Never be persuaded to 
speak on a subject that does not appeal 
to you. You cannot do it justice. 
Choose your subject to suit the audience 
you are called upon to address. Learn 
to throw your voice to the rear of the 
room so that all may hear. These are 
the first requisites for extemporaneous 
speaking. It will also be essential to 
know how to present your ideas so as to 
make them pleasing to your hearers. To 
do this you must have some slight knowl- 
edge of logic. Oratory is good and we 
enjoy an orator; but an orator who is 
also a logician becomes a leader of men. 
When you rise to address an audience 
concentrate your thoughts on yourself 
and on what you are going to say. Do 
not allow the mentality of your hearers 
to influence yours. Look at the extreme 
end of the room and your voice will fill 
the room. Remember that you hold 
your audience by Courtesy, Curiosity, and 
Interest. The first two will insure you a 
respectful hearing for a while, but you 



128 The Parliamentarian 

must arouse the last to hold it long. 
Learn to enunciate clearly and speak 
slowly; avoid becoming monotonous. 
Elocution is good in its way, but you 
must remember that the moment your 
audience suspects you of simulating an 
emotion you will lose your power over it. 
It is natural feeling alone that can awake 
its feeling. Speak to your audience, not 
at it. Cultivate a conversational tone 
and avoid too smooth delivery. It must 
not suspect you of memorizing. To 
memorize is fatal to all originality of 
thought. You should train yourself to 
alter your form of expression to suit 
every audience. Stand, while speaking, 
well poised on both feet. Do not wave 
your hands. Avoid getting wound up. 
As you control yourself so, in like degree, 
you will your audience. Speak with 
force, so that it will be apparent that you 
mean what you say. Express yourself 
clearly and avoid the use of ambiguous 
language or of words not in common use. 
An Extemporaneous speech, in the com- 
mon acceptance of the term, is a speech 
delivered without notes. It must not be 



Extemporaneous Speaking 129 

confounded with the impromptu speech, 
which is one composed on the spur of the 
moment. An extemporaneous speech is 
one made or procured for the occasion, 
and, in order to be able to do justice both 
to your subject and your audience, con- 
siderable hard work is required before 
you are in a position to deliver such a 
speech. When you have collected all 
your material, you should write out your 
ideas in the order that you desire to pre- 
sent them. Then make a list of sug- 
gestive notes, which will recall to your 
mind the train of thought that they 
represent. When you have done this, 
destroy your written speech and practice 
the delivery of your speech from the 
notes. It is essential that you should 
become accustomed to the sound of your 
own voice, and consequently, you should 
practice delivering your speech aloud. 
Do this until it becomes an easy matter, 
then when you are called upon to speak 
in public, your mind will be so full of 
your subject that you will find your ideas 
rapidly presenting themselves. Never 
attempt to confine yourself to any set 



130 The Parliamentarian 

form of words. Be spontaneous as far 
as possible. If you do not say what you 
expected to say, do not let it cause you 
annoyance or hesitation, but continue on 
and every moment will make it easier. 
Remember that your audience desires you 
to succeed. It looks to you for enter- 
tainment or instruction. It is seldom 
that an audience is in an antagonistic 
state of mind toward a speaker. Your 
audience, in fact, should be largely in the 
state of mind that you create. It is 
your prerogative to sway and influence 
its mind and bend it at least for the time 
being, to your way of thinking. As you 
increase in proficiency as a speaker, you 
will learn to study the faces of your audi- 
ence and will adapt yourself to meet the 
atmosphere that confronts you. No two 
audiences are exactly alike and a speech 
should be always more or less modified to 
meet the requirements of the occasion. 
By the cultivation of these simple rules 
public speaking will become a pleasure to 
be desired instead of a bugbear to be 
avoided. At the present time the cus- 
tom of after-dinner speaking, both 



Extemporaneous Speaking 131 

among men and women, is very preva- 
lent; everyone should be able to do his 
part creditably. The short speech, if 
well done, generally leads up to some- 
thing more important and public speak- 
ing is becoming an accomplishment that 
it behooves us all to cultivate. 

65. Logic. All speech is more pleas- 
ing to the human understanding when 
logically expressed. It is therefore es- 
sential that any one desiring to present a 
subject in a speech, debate or discussion, 
should have some slight knowledge of 
logic. All speech is composed of 
"terms"; "a term is a word or words 
that constitute a subject of thought." 
Every term has its "content," which is 
its dictionary meaning, or exact defini- 
tion and its "concept," which is your 
comprehension of the word. You must, 
therefore, be careful that the words you 
employ shall, as far as possible, convey 
the same meaning or concept to your 
hearers as they do to you. In order to 
do this use plain and simple language; 
let your terms be largely derived from 



132 The Parliamentarian 

the Saxon preferably to those derived 
from other sources. Any agreement or 
denial between two concepts is a propo- 
sition. Example: "Man is human." 
Here we have the concepts "man "and 
"human," the verb "is," creates an 
agreement and so forms a proposition. 
The subject for a discussion, conference, 
or debate always consists of a proposi- 
tion. 

66. The Syllogism. A syllogism is a 
system of reasonmg by means of a mid- 
dle term. A syllogism contains three 
propositions, the " Major," " Minor," and 
"Middle." The Major, or first proposi- 
tion contains the conclusion, the other 
two propositions prove this conclusion. 
In the Minor or third proposition, we 
have the logical result of the proof con- 
tained in the Middle or second proposi- 
tion and these two together bring us back 
to the Major proposition, which is our 
conclusion. Example : " All animals are 
mortal." A dog is an animal. There- 
fore all dogs are mortal. In order to 
prove our syllogism to be logical we ap- 



Extemporaneous Speaking 133 

ply the following test which is in the 
form of a question. Why is a dog mor- 
tal? Ans. Because he is an animal and 
all animals are mortal. Any syllogism 
that does not respond to this test is a 
fallacy. From this example we see the 
truth of the assertion that a syllogism is 
a system of reasoning by means of a 
middle term. Take away the middle 
term, and your argument falls to the 
ground. 

67. The Syllogism Applied. Your 
speech, in order to carry conviction, 
should be arranged in the form of a 
syllogism and the closer you confine 
yourself to the syllogistic arrangement 
the more convincing you will be. First 
state your subject; the proposition about 
which you are to speak. This answers 
to the Major proposition. Then give 
your proofs and arguments. These you 
will see answer to your Middle proposi- 
tion. Last, draw your conclusion, and 
work back briefly through your argu- 
ment to your proposition and thus prove 
that your summing up or Minor proposi- 



134 The Parliamentarian 

tion logically works back to your Major 
proposition, which, in turn, contains 
your conclusion. In the drawing up of 
a speech, these different parts are usually 
called, Preamble, Inference, Conclusion. 

68. Arrangement of a Speech. After 
the subject of your speech has been de- 
cided upon, some time must necessarily 
be spent in collecting material. No 
source of information should be neglected 
and every available means employed to 
obtain light on the subject. After you 
have done all you can and feel you are 
prepared to commence the actual work 
of preparation you will find it helpful to 
divide your material under the following 
headings. These headings are simply 
for the benefit of the speaker and should 
only be apparent to the hearers in the 
degree that the logical and correct ar- 
rangement appeals to their understand- 
ing. These headings are: The Exor- 
dium, Division, Narration, Confirmation, 
Refutation, and Peroration, six in all. 
In order to preserve the syllogistic form 
we arrange these headings in twos. The 



Extemporaneous Speaking 135 

Exordium and Division will form the 
Preamble and will also be the Major 
proposition. Narration and Confirma- 
tion will constitute the Inference and be 
at the same time the Middle proposition. 
Refutation and Peroration will sum up 
and be the conclusion as well as the 
Minor proposition. We will now pro- 
ceed to explain what these headlines 
stand for. 

69. Preamble. The first division con- 
tains the Exordium and Division ; in the 
Exordium, you state your subject and 
what you intend to prove in regard to it. 
In other words, it is a statement of your 
subject and your object in presenting it. 
In your Division, you state the point of 
view from which you intend to consider 
your subject. These together constitute 
your Preamble. 

70. Inference. The second division of 
your speech consists of Narration and 
Confirmation. In Narration you tell all 
you think necessary in regard to your 
subject to give your audience a clear 



136 The Parliamentarian 

idea of its merits. It is, in fact, under 
this heading that you tell anything about 
your subject that may make it interest- 
ing or that goes to prove the point you 
have in view in presenting it. Con- 
firmation contains the proofs by which 
you hope to maintain the ground out- 
lined in your Preamble. In this you 
present the arguments by which you en- 
deavor to persuade your audience to ac- 
cept these proofs. These together con- 
stitute your Inference. 

71. Conclusion. While you have been 
speaking many points have arisen in the 
minds of your hearers which are antagon- 
istic to what you are endeavoring to 
prove. You now come to your Refuta- 
tion and Peroration. In your Refuta- 
tion you answer, as far as possible, the 
antagonistic views which you feel sure 
some of your hearers hold. You en- 
deavor to refute them. This leads to 
your Peroration, or summing up, in 
which you briefly revise the ground you 
have covered in your speech, and show 
that, having presented a good logical 



Extemporaneous Speaking 137 

argument, you are entitled to have the 
proposition admitted as proved. These 
together constitute your Conclusion. 

72. Example of the Arrangement of a 
Speech. 

Subject 

The Value of Our Pubhc School System. 

Preamble. 
Exordium. 

Statement of subject and of the 
intention of the speaker to prove 
the value of our Public School 
System. 
Division. 

Point of View is that of the value 
of the system to the community 
at large. 

Inference. 
Narration. 

Brief account of the system, giving 
some of its practical workings. 
Confirmation. 

In countries where no such systems 
exist conditions show that edu- 



138 The Parliamentarian 

cational standards are lower and 
in consequence the community 
suffers. 

Conclusion. 
Refutation. 

The objection- is often raised to our 
system that it teaches too many 
different subjects. Those who 
object do not sufficiently appre- 
ciate the fact that our schools con- 
tain an infinite variety of minds, 
and, in order to give each an op- 
portunity for perfect individual 
mental development, many lines 
of work must be suggested that 
each may ultimately pursue the 
one for which he is most suited. 

Peroration. 

The above line of argument being 
admitted, the proposition em- 
bodied as the subject of the speech 
must be admitted to have been 
conclusively proved. 
The above skeleton of a speech will show 
how any subject can be arranged on the 
lines suggested. 



Extemporaneous Speaking 139 

73. Induction and Deduction. In the 

preparation of a logical argument two 
methods may be pursued, the Inductive 
or the Deductive. In the first, you ar- 
gue from an Inference. In the second, 
from a known fact. Almost all religious 
arguments are framed on the inductive 
system. Mathematical arguments are 
always deductions. The argument on 
which is based the commonly accepted 
hypothesis used to explain the origin of 
our solar system is inductive. The argu- 
ment from which we infer that touching 
a red hot iron will result in a burn is 
deductive. The first is based on the 
assumption that, given certain imagin- 
ary conditions that we have reason to 
believe once existed, certain results were 
bound to follow. The second is based 
on the assumption that, given the same 
conditions, what has happened will hap- 
pen. All inventions are largely the re- 
sult of induction. Induction must, in 
fact, have preceded deduction. In pre- 
paring the line of argument for a speech 
the speaker must decide as to which of 
these methods will best carry out the 
purposes he has in mind. 



I40 The Parliamentarian 

74- Debate. Of all forms of argumen- 
tation the debate affords the highest 
possibilities for the display of intellect- 
uality. It differs from other forms of 
argumentation in that it presupposes the 
existence of two sides for the subject 
presented. It has the negative con- 
stantly in mind. It is therefore neces- 
sary that the subject for debate shall be 
presented in the form of a positive affirm- 
ative proposition. In order to debate a 
question, it must be presented in the 
affirmative. You may not defend what 
has not been attacked. It is possible 
sometimes, to debate an apparent nega- 
tive, an apparent, not an actual nega- 
tive. A skillful debater can frame such a 
proposition. To be debatable a subject 
must have two sides ; you cannot debate" 
truisms. 

To creditably take part in a debate 
requires considerable practice as well as 
ability. Professor Alden tells us in his 
book, "The Art of Debate," that "The 
mental habits which go to make a good 
debater are of the highest type and are 
usually developed only by considerable 



Extemporaneous Speaking i4i 

training. They involve the ability to 
find out as well as to defend truth; the 
ability to analyze keenly and swiftly the 
essential from the trivial, the wilHngness 
to consider the questions apart from the 
prejudices with which one is tempted to 
view them, and finally, the power of ex- 
pression. To these must be added, for 
one who will be successful in active de- 
bate, the ability to decide quickly which 
of two or three possible lines of attack 
shall be chosen, and the power of rapidly 
arranging one's thoughts in a way to 
make them seem reasonable to others." 
While few of us may be able to attain 
to this degree of excellence, no one 
should be deterred from studying the art 
of debate and taking advantage of the 
mental stimulus the study brings. Any 
one who can find reasons for his conten- 
tion and state them clearly is an accept- 
able debater, 

75. Proposition. On the care with 
which the proposition is framed rests 
largely the success of the debate. As 
has been stated, it must be an affirmative ; 



142 The Parliamentarian 

must contain a clear and concise state- 
ment of a fact; must be capable of a 
well-defined negative. The topic sug- 
gested for the extemporaneous speech 
would form a good topic for a debate. 
The proposition might be worded as fol- 
lows: "Resolved: That our Public Schools 
are the Best in the World." This is a 
clear statement of a fact and admits of a 
decided negative. 

76. Point of View. The first point to 
be decided in regard to the proposition 
presented is its precise meaning, or what 
it maintains. If it is susceptible of being 
regarded from more than one point of 
view it is the privilege of those who have 
the debate in charge to choose the point 
of view from which it shall be debated. 
Our proposition clearly states that our 
schools are the best in the world. We may 
maintain our proposition from the point 
of view of the value of the " System, or 
the point of view of the value of the edu- 
cation carried on under that system." 
These different points of view would in- 
volve different lines of argument. Our 



Extemporaneous Speaking 143 

point of view limits the scope of our 
argument. Care should be taken that 
the point of view should be one from 
which everything contained in the propo- 
sition may be consistently debated. 

77. Chairman. The Chairman has 
charge of the debate. He occupies the 
Chair and states the proposition, outlines 
the point of view and introduces the 
speakers. It is also his business to read 
the summing up and put the vote. He 
must see that the speakers adhere to the 
point of view, and are careful to debate 
the proposition from that point of view. 
If there is no other arrangement or rule, 
the Chairman assigns the sides upon 
which those taking part in the debate 
shall prepare themselves to speak. When 
the hour has come for the opening of the 
debate the Chairman rises and says: 
" We will now proceed to debate the fol- 
lowing resolution or proposition: Re- 
solved, That (here state resolution). 
From the point of view of (here state 
point of view)." He then introduces 
the speakers. The first speaker is of 



144 The Parliamentarian 

course the leader of the affirmative. 
When the debate is closed the Chairman 
reads the summing up from notes he has 
taken during the progress of the pro- 
ceedings. He reads first, the line of 
argument presented by the affirmative; 
next, that presented by the negative. 
He does not mention the speakers but 
reads the argument as a connect- 
ed whole. After this two votes are 
taken. The first is on the merits of 
the argument, the second on the mer- 
its of the resolution. The first is put as 
follows: "Resolved, That the affirma- 
tive sustained the resolution, those in 
favor say aye . Opposed no.'' This vote 
is simply to develop the fact as to which 
side, in the opinion of the audience, has 
the cleverer speakers. If the negative 
speakers are considered the cleverer, the 
motion will be lost. The second vote is 
on the resolution irrespective of any 
argument that may have been presented. 
It is put as follows: "Resolved, That 
(here state resolution), all in favor say 
aye. Opposed h<9." The Chairman then 
announces the results of the votes, and 
the debate is ended. 



Extemporaneous Speaking 145 

78. Speakers. The form of debate 
outlined in this book is the usual 
form. For this there should be at 
least four prepared speakers, and more 
if they are obtainable. These are the 
First Affirmative, First Negative, Second 
Affirmative, Second Negative, and, if 
possible. Third Affirmative and Third 
Negative. More prepared speakers are 
desirable if it is possible to obtain them. 
After the prepared speakers have spoken 
the debate is thrown open to all those 
present. Any one may speak to the 
question who can obtain the floor, the 
only rules to be observed being the alter- 
nating of the affirmative and negative 
and the adherence to the point of view. 
A formal debate is one in which only 
prepared speakers take part and may be 
conducted by two speakers. 

79. First Affirmative. The Chairman 
introduces the first affirmative as follows ; 
"Mr. A. will present the affirmative side 
of the argument." The speaker begins 
by recognizing the Chair and the audi- 
ence and says, "Mr. Chairman and La- 



146 The Parliamentarian 

dies and Gentlemen." If it is a club he 
varies the above by saying "And mem- 
bers of" (here state name of club). In 
presenting the argument for the affirm- 
ative the speaker simply presents the 
proposition as it stands. No attack 
having been made it simply rests with 
the affirmative to establish by proof a 
given proposition. This is usually ex' 
pressed by saying that on the affirmative 
rests the burden of proof. It is for the 
speaker to decide what are the essential 
points to be proved. The first affirm- 
ative may not shirk the burden resting 
upon him; he must establish the proof 
of the proposition. As the Burden of 
Proof is on the First Affirmative the 
presumption favors the Negative. A 
skillful leader of the affirmative will so 
present the argument as to raise the pre- 
sumption against the negative while not 
actually attacking it. This may be done 
by proving facts which shall raise a pre- 
sumption in favor of the affirmative. If 
we accept the resolution as the subject 
for a debate, "That our PubHc Schools 
Are the Best in the World," taking for 



Extemporaneous Speaking 147 

our point of view the educational results 
of the system carried out in those schools 
the leader of the affirmative would have 
to prove that children educated at our 
schools were the best educated children 
in the world. By means of comparison 
with tlie children of other countries he 
could raise a presumption against the 
negative. The leader of the affirmative 
must then establish the fact contained 
in the proposition and apply his reason- 
ing to that fact, being careful not to con- 
found illustration for proof. The trend 
of an affirmative argument may be 
summed up as follows: i. The resolu- 
tion as presented is true. 2 . It has been 
proved to be true for the following rea- 
sons. 3. There can be little doubt that 
it will continue to be true no matter how 
attacked. Nothing should be advanced 
by the leader of the affirmative that 
cannot be conclusively proved. 

80. First Negative. The Chairman in- 
troduces the leader of the Negative as 
follows: "Mr. B. will present the nega- 
tive side of the argument." The leader 



148 The Parliamentarian 

of the negative presents the resolution 
from the negative standpoint ; he main- 
tains that it is not what is claimed. On 
him rests the Burden of Refutation. He 
does not answer any of the points 
brought forward by the affirmative, he 
has only to present the negative. He 
proceeds on the assumption that the fact 
stated in the resolution cannot be sus- 
tained from the point of view stated. 
In stating the negative argument of a 
debate conducted on the resolution 
"That Our PubHc Schools Are the Best 
in the World," the negative would sim- 
ply bring proofs to show that from an 
educational standpoint they were not. 

81. Second Affirmative. The second 
speaker in the affirmative is introduced 
by the Chairman as follows : " Mr. C. will 
speak on the affirmative and answer the 
leader of the negative." It will be seen 
from this that the second affirmative has 
no light task. He must confine himself 
strictly to answer what the leader of the 
negative has said. He may not intro- 
duce any new matter. It is also essen- 



Extemporaneous Speaking 149 

tial that he pursue the lines laid down by 
the leader of the affirmative. It needs 
a ready speaker and quick thinker to 
successfully take the part of second 
affirmative. 

82. Second Negative. The Chairman 
introduces the second negative by say- 
ing: "Mr. D. will speak in the negative 
and answer the first and second affirma- 
tive." The second negative must be 
able to combat all the affirmative points 
that have been raised. He must confine 
himself to the ground outlined by his 
predecessor, the first negative. It will 
be easily understood that the second 
speakers on the affirmative and negative 
stand in need of quick wits and retentive 
memories. It is, however, always easier 
to attack than to maintain and the first 
speakers have the hardest task. 

83. Close of Debate. If only four 
speakers are prepared the debate is then 
thrown open to those present, being care- 
ful to have the affirmative and negative 
speakers alternate, and after they have 



ISO The Parlamentarian 

spoken the floor is given to the first 
affirmative who may answer some of the 
points raised by the speakers on the other 
side. The floor is then given to the first 
negative for the same purpose. After 
this the Chairman reads the summing up, 
and puts the vote, and the debate is 
ended. 

When it is desirable to allow the 
audience to discuss the proposition before 
the final vote is taken, only the vote on 
the argiiment is put when the debaters 
have finished. The proposition is then 
discussed by those present and after the 
discussion is over the proposition is put 
to vote. 

84. Spoken Debate. We have taken 
for granted in this book that the debate 
will be spoken, not read. Whatever we 
may think of the reading of papers, they 
are absolutely destructive to a debate. 
The speakers must be able to meet all 
sorts of unforeseen emergencies and often 
must say something entirely different 
from what they expected to say. No 
form of argumentation requires as much 



Extemporaneous Speaking 151 

preliminary work as debating, and what 
often passes for extreme brilliancy is 
simply the result of careful preparation. 

The only reason any one can give for 
taking up the time of an audience is that 
he has a thought to convey; to speak for 
any other reason is a waste of time. This 
thought may instruct, amuse, surprise, or 
be simply a narration of well-known facts ; 
it may please or displease, but it must be 
a thought in order to furnish an excuse 
for speaking. 

We speak to convey a thought, and this 
thought must be conveyed in a logical 
and convincing way. If we are master of 
the arrangement of a speech and under- 
stand the proper use of language, we can 
say much that we would otherwise find it 
hard to say. Often a skillful speaker will 
interest and entertain his audience, while 
at the same time he is telling them truths 
which from one who is less skillful as a 
speaker woiild be tmwelcome. No matter 
how short the time allowed you, try to 
convey some thought to your audience 
that they can carry away with them and 
digest. 



152 The Parliamentarian 

It is hoped that the second part of this 
book will awaken a desire on the part of 
members of societies to discuss ques- 
tions of current interest intelligentlyand 
debate them logically. It appears that 
the times are ripe for the cultivation of 
individual effort as shown in the ready 
speech, or well thought out debate. Let 
us depend more on ourselves and less on 
our encyclopedias. Let the written 
speech be left to such lecturers as must 
be sure of their statistics and let us seek 
to put ourselves in touch with our hear- 
ers without the barrier of a paper. No 
one can read and look at his hearers at 
the same time. A reader can establish 
no magnetic connection with those to 
whom he reads. The magnetic connec- 
tion a speaker should establish between 
himself and his audience is one of the 
greatest elements of his success. How- 
ever fine your voice, you can scarcely use 
it to advantage if your head is bent over 
a paper. Be in a position to look your 
hearers in the face, speak to them as man 
to man, and let the papers be relegated 
to the scrap-basket or the club archives. 



Extemporaneous Speaking 153 

A ready speaker is always in demand. 
By that phrase is meant one who can be 
called upon to speak with but little if any 
preparation. Only practice and training 
can accomplish this. It was said once of 
a brilliant speaker that he never spoke on 
the subject suggested. This proved he 
was brilliant but not ready. 

With the proper application and con- 
centration and a good all-roimd knowl- 
edge of the topics of the day, we can all 
train ourselves to speak acceptably if not 
brilliantly. This is an age of speeches, 
and all should be able to take part when 
called upon and do it in an interesting and 
convincing manner. 



APPENDIX 

Page 27 

A special meeting is a meeting called to 
consider and decide some urgent business 
which cannot be put off until the next 
business meeting of the Club. The 
purpose of the meeting is stated in the call 
and no other business can be transacted. 
In order to be sure that those present 
realize what action has been decided upon 
and what liability (if any) has been as- 
simied, the minutes of the meeting 
should be read and approved before the 
meeting adjourns. Special meetings 
should only be called when an emergency 
arises that can not be met in any other 
way. 

An Executive Board is required to 
meet when any business needs attention. 
To call a business meeting of an Execu- 
tive Board a special meeting is therefore 
a misnomer. 



156 The Parliamentarian 

Page 49 

An amendment to a Constitution or 
By-laws may be tabled without taking 
th« Constitution or By-laws with it as 
an amendment to anything already 
adopted in a main motion. 

Page 50 

This motion can only be applied to 
motions actually pending. It is not in 
order to apply it to unfinished business 
or to reports of committees or, in fact, 
to any business which the assembly has 
agreed to consider. 

Page 81 

When the motion to Rescind is intro- 
duced without notice it requires a two- 
thirds vote to carry it but if notice of its 
proposed introduction is given either at a 
previous meeting or on the call to the 
meeting at which it is proposed to intro- 
duce it, then it may be carried by a ma- 
jority vote. 



Appendix 157 

Page 84 

When the President of a Club realizes 
that the introduction of this motion 
may prove an obstruction of the trans- 
action of necessary business he should 
call attention to the fact and arrange 
for a date to be set when a meeting may 
be held at v/hich the reconsideration will 
be brought up. 

Page 98 

When it is desired to adopt the report 
without the recommendation it is in 
order to move that the recommendation 
be detached from the report. When this 
motion is carried, the recommendation 
is taken up after the report is adopted 
and considered by itself. The motion to 
Lay on the Table may be applied to a 
recommendation which has been detached 
from a report but can not be applied to 
it while it is a part of the report. 

Page 10 1 

When a Club desires to arrange for the 
possibility of the making up of more 



158 The Parliamentarian 

than one ticket, provision should be made 
in the By-laws authorizing twenty or 
more members of the Club to meet and 
make up a ticket. All tickets made up 
in this manner must be forwarded to the 
Executive Board of the Club which must 
carefully observe the signature to see that 
no one member has assisted in the mak- 
ing up of more than one ticket. In this 
case no Nominating Committee is pro- 
vided for. 

Page ii6 

When the membership of an organiza- 
tion is so scattered as to make it difficult 
for it to assemble, it is allowable for the 
By-laws to provide that all elections 
should be conducted through the mails. 



INDEX. 



SECTIONS 

Adjourn 36 

Amend 25 

Amend constitution 26 

Annual reports 59 

Arrangement of speech 68, 72 

Auditing committee 12 

Ballot.. 55 

Burden of proof 79 

Burden of refutation 80 

By-laws .. 26, 57 

Chairman 1 , 6, 77 

Commit .^ " 24 

Committees > 43 

"■ ^special i, 24, 46 

'"^^^^ standing 24, 45 

Comrnittee of the whole 24, 44 

Conference! 62 

Constitution^ 2, 26, 57 

Convention T. 3, 59 

Corporate meeting 59 

Corresponding secretary 10 

Credential committee 3 

Debate .'J. . .'. , 63, 74 

Decorum^. 51 

DeductionT. ..,. 73 



'i6o Index 

SECTIONS 

Delegates 3 

Discussion 61 

Division of the question 25 

Elections 49, 55, 58 

Executive Board 17, 57 

Extemporaneous speaking 64 

Filling of blanks 25, 55 

Fix the time to which to adjourn 35 

General orders 38 

Government of clubs and societies 57 

Hints to chairmen 59 

Honorary officers 13 

Incidental questions 28 

Induction 73 

Informal consideration of the question .... 50 

Introduction of business 1 18 

Lay on the table 21 

Logic 65 

Main motion or question 19 

Meetings 

Annual 4. I5, 57. 59 

Mass I 

Regular 4, I4» 57, 59 

Special 4, 59 

Methods to reach common ground of 

agreement 60, 62 

Minutes 8, 16, 59 

Miscellaneous motions 39 

Motions classified according to their object 56 
Motions that open discussion on main 
question 53 



Index i6i 

SECTIONS 

Motions used to close debate 54 

Nominating committee 49 

Nominations i, 49, 55, 58 

Objection to the consideration of the 

question 30 

Order and appeal 29 

Order of business 

Annual meeting I5» 59 

Regular meeting 14. 59 

Special meeting 59 

Church corporate meeting 59 

Stockholders' meeting 59 

Board of Directors 59 

All other meetings 59 

Orders of the day 38 

Permanent society or club 2, 57 

Point of view 76 

Postpone to a certain day 23 

Postpone indefinitely 2^ 

Preamble 69 

President 6, 51, 59 

Previous question 22 

Privileged questions 34 

Proposition 75 

Questions of privilege 37 

Quorum 5 

Quorum of a committee 46 

Ratify 59 

Reading of papers 31 

Reception of reports 48 

Reconsider 42 



i62 Index 

SECTIONS 

Recording secretary i , 8 

Refer 24 

Renew a motion 41 

Report of Committee i , 47 

Rescind 40 

Resolutions •. i 

Roll call 55 

Second affirmative 81 

Second negative 82 

Secretary i 

Speakers in debate 78 

Special orders 38 

Spoken debate 84 

Standing rules 2 

Subsidiary motions 20 

Substitution 25 

Suspension of the rules 33 

S3dlogism . 66, 67 

To take from the table 21 

To take up a question which has been 

postponed 23 

Treasurer 11 

Undebatable questions 52 

Various methods of voting 55 

Vice-president 7 

Void motions 59 

Voluntary or mass meeting called to discuss 
the advisability of forming a society or 

taking som^e other action i 

Withdrawal of a motion 32 

Yeas and Nays 55 



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